


Twice the Tournament Trouble

by StormStar



Series: Magnolia Crescent [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-04 06:14:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2955242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormStar/pseuds/StormStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation of 'Magnolia Crescent' where we follow Harry through Year Four at Hogwarts.  Only this time, Sirius' help is more readily available and people aren't always who they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Housewarming

Harry had to stifle a chuckle as he looked over the kitchen; Sirius had sent everything into a cleaning frenzy. When they first arrived, the entire house was covered with more than a decade’s worth of dust; some places had even more than that.

The house elf, Kreacher, walked into the basement kitchen as Harry glanced over at him. He was wrinkled and old with sparse white hairs sprouting from his ears and a very harsh and croaking voice.

“Does the young Master need anything?” Kreacher asked, glaring up at Harry.

“No thanks, Kreacher. Thanks for asking,” Harry replied as the house elf went back to his business. Harry frowned, not sure what his thoughts were on the elf. He seemed to hold a great resentment towards Sirius, and even Harry at first. Harry, however, did his best to be polite to Kreacher and the elf didn’t hate him as much.

“I need dusting!” a painting shouted. Harry winced, glancing over at Kreacher. The elf nodded as he walked out of the room.

“Shut up!” Sirius shouted as Harry walked into the hall. Sirius was still trying to pry his mother’s painting off the wall.

“Be gone, you traitor!” she shouted. Harry winced, watching his godfather attempt another pry.

“Sirius, that’s the third time today you’ve tried. It’s not coming off,” Harry grimaced.

“I am having guest and I can’t have her disturbing them,” he frowned. “She’s never been very fond of the friends I keep,” Sirius explained, losing his grip and dropping to the ground. Kreacher seemed to chuckle under his breath before Sirius shot him a dark glare.

“Go clean up the living rom. I want it spotless,” Sirius ordered, glaring at the house elf.

“But, of course, Kreacher is happy to serve the House of Black,” Kreacher replied, bowing as he took his leave. Harry watched the wrinkled figure vanish down the stairs.

“You really shouldn’t be so hard on him,” Harry said with a frown, looking at his godfather. He eyed the painting for a moment. “Couldn’t you use a Silencing Charm?” he suggested, glancing back at Sirius. His godfather paused for a second, realizing that it would be a lot less work.

“Of course,” Sirius admitted, quickly flicking his wand and muttering an incantation. Now, no matter how much the painting tried, Mrs. Black could not be heard. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, rushing down the stairs. Harry noticed a broom sweeping up the stairs. The windows opened and the curtains fluttered, allowing a warm summer breeze to enter the stale house.

“So, who is coming over?” Harry asked, entering the kitchen. All the dishes were on the table; a washrag was cleaning every surface and whatever found its way into the sink. Harry didn’t know whether to frown or smile; he was so used to cleaning things by hand. He didn’t enjoy cleaning, but it just felt odd to see so much work being done and yet be doing so little. He ducked as a glass floated overhead to find its way onto the table with everything else.

“Remus,” Sirius replied. “He has some spells that will be able to help restore the house – since Kreacher decided to shirk his responsibilities,” Sirius growled, spotting the house elf in the living room. “That and I need to get new furniture. You wouldn’t believe how lumpy and stiff everything is. Not to mention, I need to get rid of these damn painting,” he muttered to himself.

“You really don’t like the place?” Harry inquired. Sirius turned to reply but they heard a knock at the door. Harry frowned a bit while Sirius quickly left to answer the front door.

“Hello. Oh, Molly, Arthur!” Sirius smiled. “What a pleasant surprise!” He stepped to the side, allowing them to walk in. “It’s so good to see you,” he smiled, shaking Arthur’s hand.

“Hey, Ron,” Harry waved as Ron and Ginny appeared behind their parents. Sirius glanced behind him as the broom levitated down the stairs and a garbage bag flew overhead.

“Sorry, the house was in need of some deep cleaning,” Sirius apologized. “Please, come on in. Harry, why don’t you show Ron around the house?” Sirius offered, leading Arthur and Molly to the living room.

Harry went upstairs as he and Ron noticed vaguely that Ginny was tagging along. Harry shrugged, not to bothered by the addition as he made his way to the landing. He opened the door to his room as Ron glanced around.

“This was Sirius’s old room, but he let me have it,” Harry said. Ron noticed the colors of Gryffindor and all of the Muggle pictures.

“So, did he put up the pictures?” Ginny asked, taking note of the Muggle pictures of women on walls. Harry blushed a deep red.

“Yeah, he said he would try to get them off if I wanted but he had cast some sort of sticking charm. It’s going to take time,” he replied. Ron smiled, nudging his friend.

“You’re still going to keep them up, aren’t you?” he smirked, nudging him again. Harry blushed as the redhead smirked.

“Ron,” Ginny frowned, glaring at her brother. Ron simply ignored her. Harry opened his mouth to say something but he heard another knock at the door. Thinking it was Remus, Harry dashed to the door, only to see Hermione there. He glanced at Sirius, who shrugged.

“Hey, Harry,” she smiled, each waving at the other.

“Hermione,” Ron said with surprise, walking down the stairs. “What are you doing here?”

“My parents dropped me off. I wanted to make sure Harry was adjusting well to his new surroundings,” she admitted. Harry scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed but happy to see her all the same.

“Um, Harry,” Ginny interrupted. He glanced over at the redhead. “Where is the bathroom?” she asked quietly.

“Up the stairs on the right hand side,” he informed as she headed back up the stairs. “Be careful! We haven’t cleaned it yet!” Harry called after her.

“What, do you think the dust will bite her?” Ron joked, smirking a bite.

“We ran into an imp in the attic the other day. Sirius told me to keep an eye out for anything. The house has been more or less empty for a decade, so who knows what has gotten in. That’s part of the reason why we’re expecting Remus,” Harry explained. “Come on up, I’ll show you around.” Harry smiled as he went up the stairs. They were just about to enter Harry’s room when Ginny screamed.

Sirius leapt up from his chair at the sound but Molly was already halfway up the stairs. Harry jiggled the handle, realizing that it was locked. “Alohamora!” he shouted as Molly almost knocked him out of the way. Everyone froze when the door opened as they saw a teen standing inside with Ginny.

“Tom?” Harry frowned while Molly glanced at him with a look of confusion. The black-haired Slytherin turned as Harry realized what it was. It began to grow a cloak as Harry raised his wand.

“Riddikulus!” Harry cast as the dementor shifted into a bouncing black ball. With a flick of Molly’s wand, the creature was sent back into the open towel drawer which slammed shut.

“Ginny, my baby! Are you alright?” Molly cried, quickly grabbing ahold of her daughter.

“Somebody been bullying you, sis?” Ron asked angrily, balling his fist. Sirius and Arthur glanced at Harry.

“Someone you know?” Arthur asked.

“You know him too,” Harry frowned, glaring at the drawer. “Ginny, it’s okay. The diary is gone,” Harry said calmly, kneeling next to the girl. She nodded and Harry noticed that she was beginning to calm down. Molly blinked, remembering the diary from the previous year.

“That was…” she realized, glancing at Harry. He nodded.

“We should get her downstairs,” Sirius interjected. Arthur picked his daughter up and carried her to the living room. Harry glared at the drawer. “We’ll deal with it later,” Sirius replied, leading the group to the living room.

Everyone took a seat in silence. Ginny grabbed ahold of Harry’s hand in an effort to keep herself calm.

“So, I take it that was Tom Riddle?” Ron spoke up. Ginny nodded but didn’t say anything.

“His memory, anyway. We’ll make sure the next time you come over, we won’t have any magical creatures besides Buckbeak,” Sirius admitted. He backtracked when Arthur gave him a confused glance. “I mean Witherwings. You know, Harry, it might be a good idea to check on him,” Sirius mentioned. Harry tried to get up but Ginny had a death grip on his hand. Harry glanced at his godfather with a pleading look. Sirius inclined his head a bit.

“Would you care to join me?” he asked. Ginny nodded and Harry led her up to Mrs. Black’s old room. They had reached the landing when they heard a knock at the door for the third time. Ginny was about to walk through the door Harry had just opened when he stopped her.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“You need to be careful when approaching a hippogriff. You remember Malfoy going on about his arm?” Harry asked. Ginny nodded in realization. Harry was walking her through the correct motions when he heard Remus walking down the hall.

“Hello, Lupin,” Harry greeted. Remus noticed Ginny calmly petting the creature.

“Hello, Harry, Ginny,” he replied. Ginny nodded in return, having calmed down from her earlier scare. The hippogriff shifted as Remus bowed low. “I heard about your little scare so I have something for you,” he said, smiling as he handed her a piece of chocolate.

“Thanks,” she smiled, accepting the chocolate.

“Do you always have chocolate on you?” Harry asked, glancing at the old professor.

“You never know when a dementor might appear,” Remus winked, patting Harry on the shoulder. “Well, then, Molly is making dinner for us. It will be ready in a couple of minutes,” Remus reminded as Ron and Hermione entered the room as well.

“So, that’s what the darkest wizard of our time looked like. Who knew he looked just like every other student,” Ron commented as Remus exited.

“I’m going to help Mum finish making dinner,” Ginny said. Harry nodded as she left the room as well.

“So, how’s Buckbeak doing?” Ron asked, petting the hippogriff’s neck after he had taken a bow.

“He’s adjusted quite well. Although, I don’t think he likes being trapped up here all the time,” Harry replied.

“And what about you?” Hermione asked. “How have you adjusted?”

“I love it. The only weird thing is there being so much magic. There really isn’t a need to do any physical cleaning. Sirius just charms everything to clean itself. It’s a bit hard to get used to. Other than that, I’m doing fine,” Harry said, shrugging his shoulders. Hermione nodded but seemed to want to press for more information. Thankfully for Harry, she didn’t pry for anything more. The three spent a few minutes petting Buckbeak and tossing ferrets around the room for him to find.

“I hope Ginny isn’t too shaken up,” Hermione said as Harry shut the door behind them. “But if that memory is anything to go by, she isn’t over the experience. At least not completely,” she added. Ron frowned but refused to comment.

“Well, we can go check on her,” Harry suggested, heading towards the kitchen. Ron groaned; he just wanted to sit down and relax. “Come on, Ron,” Harry encouraged. The three soon found themselves in the kitchen where Molly was cooking.

“Ginny, dear, make sure to keep an eye on that pot. The last thing we need is another mess,” she sighed, moving to another part of the kitchen.

“What’s one more spill?” Ron asked out loud, noticing a lot of flour. Molly gave him a quick glare before messing with the dough again.

“So, what are you cooking?” Harry asked.

“Mum’s making pot pies as well as some dessert but that is a surprise,” Ginny winked.

“Out of here, the lot of you,” Molly scolded, waving them off with a smile.

“Good to see you’re feeling better, Ginny,” Hermione said with a smile.

“Same here, Ginny,” Harry added. Ginny smiled fondly as Molly reprimanded her for not watching the pot.

“Thanks,” she whispered as she went back to her job.

Everyone had sat down at the dinner table while Molly, Ginny and Sirius helped get everything set down. Harry had offered to help.

“Sit down, Harry, dear. We’ve got everything ready,” Molly smiled while Ginny set down an obviously bigger pie for him. Ron saw this and frowned, a little grumpy. Harry chuckled.

“Sirius, where are the forks?” Molly asked.

“Fourth drawer on the left,” Sirius replied as he glanced over at Arthur, taking his own set. “No, thanks. The only reason I am taking the job is to spend time with Harry. The Black fortune has enough in it, I wouldn’t have to work another day of my life. However that would be boring,” Sirius replied. Molly frowned as his reasoning, but didn’t call him out on it. “Not to mention recent events,” Sirius muttered his breath, but nobody seemed to hear.

“I just hope that curse doesn’t take him as well,” Ron frowned, causing Hermione to elbow him. “Well, it’s true. Quirrell, Lockhart, and now Lupin. Nobody has been able to hold onto that job,” Ron shrugged.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were Sirius. I just hope you do a good job,” she countered.

“No doubts on that. Remus here has offered to help me out with all the responsibility that will require,” Sirius replied. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind going over all the Defense Against the Dark Arts spells myself. Been a bit out of practice,” Sirius commented. The group nodded in agreement.

“So, who do you think will be going to the Quidditch Cup this time?” Remus asked, ready to start up a new conversation. Ron was quick to talk as the table became buried in old dishes and small talk.

It was late into the evening when the Weasley family got ready to go. Everyone was out in the living room, next to the fire place as Sirius handed out the Floo Powder.

“It was good to see you both,” Arthur smiled, shaking hands with Sirius. Molly took Harry into a hug before grabbing his shoulders.

“You are always welcome at our home, Harry,” she reminded. Harry nodded, giving her a warm smile. Ginny quickly wrapped him into a warm hug.

“Thanks for everything, Harry,” she smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Ron patted him on the back as his father vanished in green fire, Ginny following shortly thereafter.

“This is great, we can finally hang out more. Hopefully, nothing will interrupt our conversations this time,” Ron chuckled, moving to the fireplace. With the Weasleys gone, all that was left were Hermione and Remus.

“Remus, if you don’t mind, I have something I need your help with,” Sirius mentioned. “You know, school work. No cheating, you two,” he frowned, glancing at Hermione and Harry.

“Hermione, cheat?” Harry smirked. “No way, she takes too much pride in her work,” Harry dismissed while Remus chuckled.

“Can’t argue with that,” Remus remarked, remembering how she was always on time with her work and one of his best students during his time as a professor.

The two teens didn’t have much to say. Hermione talked about the upcoming classes and other school stuff. Harry listened but wasn’t too focused on what she had to say.

“Do you think Sirius would mind if I played on the piano?” Hermione asked, breaking up their conversation on Herbology, a class Harry didn’t find too particularly interesting.

“I don’t see why not,” Harry shrugged. Hermione walked over to the baby grand, lifting the cover on the keys. She began to play as Harry next to her, watching. She remained silent, playing a song he wasn’t too familiar with. “Is there anything you can’t do?” he asked jokingly when she had finished playing.

“Lots of things, Harry,” she laughed. “After all, I am still in school. Harry, what do you think of Ginny?” she asked. Harry glanced over at her, a little confused.

“She’s all right, a little shy, why?” he asked. Hermione frowned, as if fighting her desire to explain while at the same time keep quiet.

“I am worried about her, to be honest. With last year and the recent boggart, I am worried she may develop a….”

“A what?” Harry encouraged.

“A, I don’t know, Harry, but I am worried about her. With everything that’s been going on around her, I just think you should be careful around her,” Hermione explained. Harry let it drop as he mused into what she meant. “Not trying to be mean, but you have become a bit of a pillar in her more devastating moments. I just don’t want her to rely on it,” Hermione sighed, deeply concerned. Harry kept quiet, not sure how to deal with anything. Even if it was some random girl, he was sure he would have gone down there just as quickly.

“I think I understand. I will be careful,” Harry replied, not really sure what he could do. Hermione nodded when a knock at the door interrupted them.

“That would be my parents,” Hermione said. Harry nodded, saying goodbye to his final friend.

The door closed on his final guest and Harry turned to see his godfather. “My godson, the bachelor, you dog,” Sirius smiled, walking down the stairs. He was clearly hiding something behind his back.

“What do you mean?” asked Harry. Sirius shrugged, stopping at the foot of the stairs.

“Nothing. I do have something for you, think of it as a housewarming gift,” Sirius replied, having found the word he was searching for. Harry smirked at the idea but refused to get his hopes up. Sirius tossed him a broom shaped gift. “I saw what happened to your old broom, so I hope you enjoy this one. Speaking of, I got tickets to a local game if you’re interested.”

“A Firebolt?” Harry said, stunned. He remembered Ron talking about them at dinner. “I couldn’t,” Harry stuttered, trying to hand it back. Sirius placed his hands behind his back.

“You need one for school. After all, the best seeker in the world should have the best broom,” Sirius smiled confidently. Harry inspected it before hugging his godfather.

“Thanks for everything,” Harry said as Sirius returned the hug


	2. Puddlemere United

Harry got up the next morning, glancing over the red and gold that decorated his new room. Despite it being Sirius’s old room, it still felt much more like him than his old one. He found Sirius in the kitchen going over some papers, empty breakfast dishes beside him.

“Morning, Harry. Remus will be over soon, would you mind helping me go over some spells that I need to teach? In fact, if you want to help me out with the teaching aspect, that would be appreciated,” Sirius said. Harry nodded. “Thanks, now in the meantime, let’s get back to work. We need to get rid of that boggart; we don’t want our guest getting scared again,” Sirius mentioned, getting up from the table. Harry silently agreed with him, following Sirius up the stairs. “Wait, you haven’t had anything to eat,” Sirius realized, turning back to the kitchen.

“No, I’m fine,” Harry replied. Sirius waved him off, entering the kitchen.

“Nonsense, with as skinny as you are, I am half-tempted to add a fourth meal just to get you to a decent weight,” Sirius retorted, cracking an egg.

“I’m not that skinny. I just wore big clothes,” Harry commented but Sirius wouldn’t have any of it. Harry felt uncomfortable with someone making him breakfast but recognized there was no use complaining about it.

The two were just finishing up with the beast in the closet when there was a knock at the door. “That would be Remus,” Sirius mentioned, moving down the stairs while Harry trailed behind him.

“Will he be joining us?” he asked, looking at his godfather. Sirius glanced back at him, furrowing his brow. “To the game?” Harry added.

“Oh, right,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Well, I only have two tickets, so I guess not.” He frowned, realizing his screw up. He opened the door, allowing Remus to step inside.

“Seems like only yesterday,” Remus sighed. Both Sirius and Harry gave him deadpan expressions. “They never liked that joke then either,” he sighed, walking in.

“Now then, shall we get down to business? I have an appointment to make,” Remus said. Sirius glanced over at his old friend.

“Why, got a hot date?” Sirius asked while Remus pulled out some papers and a rather large book from his suitcase.

“No, a job interview actually,” Remus replied, handing the papers to Sirius. He quickly glanced over everything, seeming to only read bits and pieces.

“So, I’ll be talking about these creatures for what year?” Sirius asked. Remus frowned, glancing over his shoulder for a second.

“Second year. Why they let you become a teacher, I’ll never know,” Remus groaned. Sirius and Harry glanced at each other for a second, wondering if they should tell him an Auror was the original choice until Sirius asked for the job.

“Now then, you will need to know all of this,” Remus continued, pulling out even more books. “Luckily, Dumbledore asked me to help you prepare. Now then, these are for years four and seven. Since Harry will be in his fourth year, I believe we should work from that book,” Remus explained, handing Sirius another book.

Sirius fumbled with the first one before placing it on the table and opening it up. You’ve got red pen all over the place.”

“Sirius,” Remus sighed. “They are notes. I figured you wouldn’t bother reading everything so I abridged it all for you.” Harry grimaced.

“I’ll have you know I can buckle down. I’ll have everything read in a week,” Sirius replied. Remus paused for a second.

“Really?” Remus questioned, clearly not believing the man.

“Probably not,” Sirius admitted, quickly scanning the work. “Let’s see here. What would be a useful spell, I know, Accio,” Sirius suggested. “Now then, Harry.”

“I already know that spell,” Harry replied. “Accio Firebolt.” The broom sailed down the stairs, allowing Harry to catch it.

“Right,” Sirius frowned, starting to flip through the book again. “How about the Bubble-Head Charm?” he asked, glancing over at Harry. He shook his head and Sirius nodded. “Let’s move to the living room. Luckily, this is a spell, I know,” he smiled.

The three walked into the living room as Sirius faced Harry. “Now then, the incantation for this spell is Aeris Orbis. When the spell is done correctly, it will create a mask of air around the user’s face, allowing them to breathe underwater. However, standard limits to how deep you can go still apply.” Harry chuckled. “The only wand movement is a gentle tap of the chin. Make sure it is on the chin; a bubble mask is going to do little good if it is attached to your hair,” Sirius explained, demonstrating as well. “Aeris Orbis,” Sirius cast and a bubble substance appeared over the lower part of his face.

Harry nodded as he took out his wand. He was about to cast it when Remus interrupted. “He needs to practice the incantation first. If you let your students randomly cast spells, someone might take their head off,” Remus offered as Harry put his wand down.

“Fine,” Sirius replied as he released the spell. “Repeat after me,” Sirius started again. Harry repeated the words a few times as Sirius got comfortable with his role as a teacher. It took about an hour but Harry was able to cast the spell, mainly because Remus would keep correcting Sirius more than Sirius corrected Harry.

“Moony, he knows the spell now,” Sirius finally said as Remus explained things he could have done better. Harry rolled his eyes as the two men argued.

“I probably could have learned the spell in fifteen minutes if they didn’t stop every few seconds to go over teaching directions,” Harry thought to himself. “Not to interrupt, but Lupin, didn’t you say you had something to do?” asked Harry, not wanting to listen to them bicker.

“Damn it,” Remus swore before realizing that he had sworn in front of Harry. “Sorry, look I got to go. Nice to see you, Harry,” Remus replied, quickly leaving the house.

“Everyone is always on the run,” Harry said out loud as Sirius chuckled.

“Probably seeing some girl. I can’t really see anything else worth running out on your friends for,” Sirius commented as Harry glanced over at his godfather.

“He never mentioned anything like that, and I kind of took up a lot of his free time during school,” Harry replied, not sure how the old professor could manage all his paperwork, Harry and a woman all at the same time.

“You would be surprised what a man can do if he really wants to,” Sirius said, walking out of the room. Harry blinked, wondering if his godfather knew Occlumency. “Now then, to the Quidditch game. Man, I haven’t been to a game, well, a game in the stands, at least,” Sirius corrected, tossing Harry his Firebolt.

Harry caught it with no problem as Sirius pulled out his own broom. “So, who are we going to see? I haven’t actually been to a game, I usually play in them,” Harry said. Normally, he had some bad luck playing each game through all the way. Something usually got in the way.

“Puddlemere United against Tutshill Tornados,” Sirius replied, pulling out his wand. The house dimmed around them. As they exited the house, Harry noted a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, telling him he was forgetting something important.

“Don’t you think you should be preparing for the school year? I mean, it would seem a bit more important than a Quidditch game,” Harry replied. Sirius frowned, glancing at Harry for a long moment.

“You are starting to remind me of Lily,” he replied. “All the same.” He pressed, quickly casting a Disillusionment spell. Harry felt as if an egg was cracked over his head with a cold chill spreading throughout his body.

“Please, Harry. I’ve got to live a little bit. I’ve been locked up and had to sneak around forever. Let me enjoy my freedom while I can,” Sirius replied. Harry felt a small stab at his heart.

“Fine, but afterwards, back to the books. The last thing we need is you getting kicked off the staff in the first week because you don’t know the material,” Harry said, genuinely concerned for his godfather.

“Look, one game, okay. It’s like having a second Remus around. Maybe we should get you a girlfriend. How about Hermione, she seems nice,” Sirius commented. Harry’s face turned red.

“No, she’s just a friend,” Harry replied. “Besides, she’s like my best friend. There is no way she would see me like that. I wouldn’t chance a relationship when I only have like three friends,” Harry hastily explained.

“Someone doth protest too much,” Sirius chuckled. “All the same, Harry, I would recommend it, there are some school events coming up and a girlfriend will definitely help,” Sirius replied. Harry looked him with confusion. “Just keep my advice in mind.” Sirius kicked off the ground and Harry followed suit.

“So, where are we heading anyway?” Harry asked.

“We are heading north, to Yorkshire. It’s a bit of a ride, but I have no doubts we will make it in time. Luckily, the Black family owns an estate, so we won’t have to ride back until the morning,” Sirius replied. Harry gulped at this revelation, silently thanking Oliver Wood.

When they finally arrived, Harry dropped into his seat and Sirius sat down next to him. Despite it being a season match, the stands were scattered at best. “I’m surprised nobody noticed me,” Harry mentioned as Sirius handed him a glass of butterbeer.

“I guess nobody really expects to see you out and about. From what I gathered, you tend to stay out of the public eye,” Sirius commented. Harry shrugged.

“Not like I had much of a choice in the matter,” Harry replied bitterly as the players moved onto the field. Harry looked over the arena when he noticed a very familiar face sitting on the bench at the bottom of the opposite tower. “Hey, it’s Wood. I remember he was part of the reserve team. Too bad we can’t see him,” Harry smirked.

“A friend of yours?” Sirius asked.

“He was Quidditch captain since I joined the team. Nice guy, but I’ve never met anyone more obsessed with the game. I feel sleepy just thinking of all the early morning training session he put the team through,” Harry explained. Sirius nodded as the players formed a circle on the pitch. The referee flew out to the center, carrying a crate under his arm.

A whistle was blown, and the game began. Harry kept his eyes peeled as Sirius handed him a contraption to help see the game better. The match was pretty even; the Seekers were doing a good job keeping each other busy while the Chasers moved with the Quaffle.

Harry watched, automatically looking for the golden Snitch. He spotted the small gold dot flitting around one of the towers. Neither of the Seekers noticed but Harry observed that it was keeping to the side. A hand suddenly clapped onto his shoulder, nearly scaring him out of his seat.

“Merlin’s beard!” he shouted, turning to see Oliver Wood smiling down at him.

“Hey, Harry,” he greeted, smiling while they shook hands. He glanced over to see Sirius sitting next to him. “Hello, Mr. Black,” he offered, voice neutral. Sirius nodded, deciding to leave the pair alone.

“Hey, shouldn’t you be down on the field, Wood?” Harry asked, looking back at the game.

“Didn’t you listen to any of my talks?” he asked, shrugging. Harry’s face turned red and he scratched the back of his neck. “Really?” he sighed, keeping his eyes on Harry. “I’m a fourth stringer. You’ve got the ace players, second string and third string. Fourth string is replacement if all three strings are taken out. That’s more or less what the reserve team is. I’m basically a glorified bench warmer,” he sighed, trying to hide a disheartened face.

“Well, I don’t see three teams worth of men on the bench,” Harry replied, looking down at the field. Wood shrugged, giving off a thousand-yard stare.

“True, but I stick around in case they need me. It’s silly, really, but I can’t help but show up in some vain hope that I will be able to play,” he responded. Harry gave him a sad smile and a hard punch.

“Not giving up on me, are you?” Harry said, smiling and raising an eyebrow. “You’re not going to tell me all those days of training, all those early morning wake up calls, were just there for you to torment me?”

“Never!” Wood nearly shouted, giving Harry a soft glare.

“Good, ‘cause I don’t want to find out you gave up after all that. I did not lose a year’s worth of sleeping in just for you to mope,” Harry replied, a defiant note in his voice.

“I am not giving up. That’s why I am here to begin with,” Wood replied.

“Good, I want to come to a pro game and see you flying out there with the first string,” Harry noted.

“If I had my way, Potter, you’d be out there with me,” Wood grinned. Harry simply shook his head.

“Please, Wood, I’m not that good,” he denied, waving his hands in front of him. Sirius looked over at him.

“That’s not what I hear,” Sirius argued. Wood smirked, giving his attention to the older man.

“You know what, after the game, I could ask if you can fly around. Shouldn’t be too much trouble,” Wood offered. Harry blinked at the pair but decided not to argue on his own skill.

“Well, Wood, if you could pull it off, I wouldn’t mind putting my new broom through its paces,” Harry agreed with a smile. Wood nodded, glancing down at the ground.

“Well, catch you later, Potter. I will see if I can get you some free time,” Wood smiled, casually walking off. Harry smirked, returning his attention to the game.

“Friend of yours?” Sirius asked, watching the man leave.

“Yeah, didn’t I already tell you that? he was captain of the Quidditch team. He graduated last year. I’m surprised he got onto a team so quickly,” Harry admitted.

“I take it he is good then? Even getting on the reserve team is something for someone straight out of school,” Sirius replied, looking at Harry.

“Not bad, but I don’t think I’m a very good judge of skill. I haven’t been to a game that I haven’t played in,” he confessed.

“He seems to hold you in high regard,” Sirius commented, looking over at his godson. “I’ve only seen a few games but I still find myself agreeing with him.” Sirius smiled.

“Well, I did start early,” Harry agreed. “But I doubt I am good enough to play in the pro leagues.”

“Really? Before Wood interrupted you, where was the Snitch?” Sirius asked. Harry didn’t hesitate in his response.

“Over near that tower,” he answered, pointing to the correct location. Sirius blinked in surprise. Harry seemed to think he would be surprised if he was telling the truth. He fell silent and started looking for it again. Sirius noticed this, along with the fact that Harry was very straight-forward in his thinking, much like other Seekers. It wouldn’t surprise him if that was the reason his Animagus was a dog, where his father was more of a big-picture person and his mother was very detail oriented. It seemed to fit as Harry was a single-minded person, taking on one problem at a time. Sirius, being a similarly minded person, knew firsthand the problems with such a simple way of dealing with things; it got him landed in Azkaban.

The game went on and it wasn’t long before both Sirius and Harry were shouting while both Seekers raced after the Snitch.

“Go!” Harry shouted, cheering on Seeker Blythe Parkin.

“And Parkin catches the Snitch!” the announcer shouted. Harry leaped up, hollering his support before suddenly dropping into the seat again, allowing his adrenalin and heart to slow down from his peak. He sighed, content as he relaxed into the chair.

“Thanks,” Harry said. His godfather chuckled, sitting back and relaxing when Wood actually flew up next to them in the tower. Sirius pulled out a small bag, opening it to reveal both of their brooms.

“A Firebolt, impressive,” Wood commented as Harry mounted. “I wish you had that last season.”

“Been on a broom all day and yet, I still can’t find myself complaining,” Harry remarked while Wood pulled out a Quaffle and tossed it to him.

“Care to give me some practice?” he asked. Harry shrugged, seeing no reason not to as he caught the ball.

“Don’t mind if I join in?” Sirius asked, mounting his own broom. Wood shook his head. Sirius raised his hands and Harry tossed the ball in his direction. He spun the ball on his finger and pulled out his wand. Wood flinched, going unnoticed to Sirius as he cast a spell. He let the ball drop casually to the ground before it sprang back up to his waiting hand. “Forgive an old man his age, but chasing a ball around after I score isn’t a favorite past time of mine,” he grinned, giving them a small shrug.

“Really?” Wood asked, a confident grin appearing on his face. “I’ll have you know that I’m not going to go easy on you, old man,” he countered, shooting off for the three goal posts. Sirius tossed the ball in the air, testing out his spell before looking over at Harry.

“Ready?” he asked. Harry nodded, replicating his godfather’s grin. They raced off as Sirius tossed the ball. Harry moved to the lowest ring and tossed the ball, only for Wood to easily knock it away.

“Come on, Potter, you’re going to have to try harder than that!” he taunted. Harry glared, deciding to take him up on the challenge. They fell back as the ball flew back to Sirius.

“I’ve seen that look before,” Sirius said, smirking as he tossed the ball to Harry. Harry shot off in a blur, always tossing the ball but Wood smacked him down each time. Sirius hung back, watching his godson run the same course over and over again to no avail. Harry stretched his arm before racing off again. Wood was always a monster to score on; in fact, many people had to get physical just to beat him, often leading to suspensions for the other team. Harry raced around the pitch, deciding he needed to catch Wood off guard.

Harry prepared for another shot, leaping off his broom. Wood automatically moved to defend where he though Harry was going to shoot. Instead, the ball went for the opposite hoop as gravity took over. Wood literally grabbed his broom by the handle, swatting the ball away before flipping the broom back between his legs. Harry plummeted towards the ground as Sirius dove after him, catching him in time and summoning the Firebolt back.

“Why did I see you doing that?” Sirius asked rhetorically. Harry gave him a confident grin as he got back on his broom. Wood floated down to check on his old Seeker.

“Nice try, Potter. Didn’t think you would pull a stunt like that,” Wood admitted. Harry chucked, snagging the ball and tossing it at the goal, only for it to bounce off. “Well, you may be one helluva Seeker, but Potter, you would never be a good Chaser.”

“I’ll stick to the little gold ball, thank you,” he replied, rubbing his sore arm, swearing that he threw it out of place. The Quaffle returned to Sirius and he spun it on his finger. Wood smirked, watching Sirius toss the ball straight into the goal post.

“Seems like you might know a thing or two,” Wood acknowledged, flying back to the Keeper’s spot. Harry glanced around, noticing that they had gathered a small crowd, including some of the players from Puddlemere United. Sirius juggled the ball as Wood gave him a thumbs-up. He raced off, a blur even with an older broom. When he managed to toss the ball, it went incredibly low, bouncing off the metal pole. Wood paused while the ball returned to Sirius. He took the opportunity and put it through the lowest hoop, effectively scoring on Wood.

“With age comes wisdom,” he grinned. Wood gave him a dumbfounded look as Sirius moved back, the ball returning. Wood geared up, finally understanding what he had gotten himself into. Sirius raced in again, throwing the ball but Wood was keeping his guard up and kept knocking the ball away. Eventually, Sirius used Wood’s own trick against him and hit the Quaffle like a baseball. Wood knocked the ball away with his head, only for Sirius to kick it back after he recovered from the hit. Wood spun around, hitting the ball with the tail of his broom. Sirius smirked, noticing that Wood was breathing heavier. Even if he didn’t want to show it, Harry had worn him down and Sirius’s constant onslaught was finally draining.

Sirius rolled the ball between his hands, remembering a move James has used once before. Moving back, he tossed the ball into the air. He shot forward, leaping off the broom and bringing both his hands together, he slammed the ball into the centermost circle.

Wood rushed to the spot, catching the ball as it almost knocked him off his broom. He seemed winded as he struggled to keep his balance while Sirius landed easily on his broom.

“Not bad,” he admitted. Wood gave him a grin in-between small winces.

“Agreed,” a feminine voice consented. Harry spun to see Blythe Parkin floating behind them, clapping. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you would be this resilient, Wood,” she admitted. Wood quickly sat up straight, forgetting his exhaustion.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he responded, looking at her as if she were a military officer. Sirius glanced over, studying her as she closed in. She had jet black hair that stood in spikes and a pair of red goggles that kept her eyes a mystery. She was very eagle-like, as if she was always in the air. She nodded respectfully at Harry and he returned the gesture.

“I see Sirius Black isn’t too stiff. I heard about you, not a bad Seeker,” she said, looking at Harry.

“Only ‘cause I wasn’t a good team player so they told me to go chase the shiny,” he grinned. She giggled a very feminine giggle, catching Harry off guard, expecting a more serious individual. “Hope we are not causing any problems,” he commented.

“Other than keeping the janitorial staff here a little longer, nothing I’m going to yell at you about,” she replied, shaking her head. “Wood, I didn’t know you knew Harry Potter,” she noted, glancing in his direction.

“Yeah, he was Seeker for my Hogwarts team. Youngest Seeker in a century,” he declared. “Did an excellent job, if only he didn’t get himself into trouble every year,” he insisted, turning to eye Harry.

“Don’t remind me; the stupid stone in first year,” Harry said, frowning.

“And the snake in the second year,” Wood added. “I’m glad he helped me win the Cup in my last year,” he said sincerely.

“So, he’s good then?” Parkin asked, looking to Harry.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Harry isn’t sure what he is going to do but he is a damn good Seeker. I wouldn’t mind having him on my team again,” Wood admitted. Parkin nodded, not too bothered by his honesty.

“Well then, I may have to talk to the coach and see if we can get you some game time. It seems you have more skill than I thought,” she remarked. “I’ll go and see if we can’t work something out.”

“Mind if I join you?” Sirius asked, giving her a confident grin. She gave him a sly smirk, racing off as Sirius gave chase.

“Oh, boy,” Harry sighed, resting his forehead in his hand.

“Well, he had been locked up for a while. I can’t say I blame him,” Wood grinned. Harry gave him a confused look, not quite catching on. “Want to fly around for a while? I could give you a tour of the pro team,” he offered. Harry nodded, the two racing off. Harry was more than happy to tour the area.


	3. Diagon Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and Harry talking about girls. Mostly. think of it as boys being boys.

Harry frowned as he looked at the cauldron in front of him. Lupin was casually watching him work over the potion. Harry kept looking over his shoulder, trying to understand what Lupin was up to.

Sirius was sitting in the dining room, reading the teacher’s book for the first years. After the Quidditch game, Sirius was true to his word and kept to his work. The house was silent most of the time, as he and Sirius were always working on something. Harry, thanks to Lupin’s badgering, had already finished his summer homework. But to be fair, it often took him forever because the Dursely’s never wanted to see anything related to Hogwarts. Hedwig flew into the room, landing casually on his shoulder.

She was loving the freedom, taking to the house much faster than he did. Her cage had become all but useless for the past couple of months. Hedwig’s talons gripped into his shoulder as he realized she was trying to get his attention.

“One moment, Hedwig,” Harry hushed, tapping the cauldron with his wand, causing the potion to bubble and simmer. Lupin walked over to inspect it while Harry looked over at the snowy owl and noticed the letter in her beak.

“It seems Dumbledore has sent you the list of school supplies. Anyone up for a trip to Diagon Alley?” Lupin asked casually. Harry nodded, looking into the cauldron. “Not bad, Harry,” he said, noticing Harry. “Why don’t you head up and get your stuff together.” Harry nodded as he dashed up the stairs. Lupin sat before the potion, inspecting it with a critical eye. Sirius looked up from his book and yawned.

“Something catch your eye?” Sirius asked, setting the book aside. Lupin remained quiet as he tested the potion with a wooden spoon.

“Yes, Harry’s grades in Potions is a relatively poor. Passable, but poor nonetheless,” Lupin replied calmly.

“But Harry and Hermione helped with potion for the Pensieve,” Sirius commented, perplexed. “You can’t get poor grades in Potions if you’re good enough to make that.”

“My point exactly. Harry just finished a grade six potion. It took him awhile, but according to his grades, he shouldn’t be able to do that well.”

“Well, that’s very interesting,” Sirius replied, returning to his book. He looked over to see Lupin get a very odd smile on his face.

“I need to take care of something,” he stated with a smile, getting up from his chair. “Have fun shopping.” Lupin left, taking Harry’s cauldron with him. Sirius opened his mouth to speak but Lupin was already out the door before he could say anything. He shrugged his shoulders, turning back to his book. Harry dashed down the stairs and Sirius got up, still reading.

“Where did Lupin go?” Harry asked, looking around the room. Sirius shrugged, not looking away from his book as he pulled out Harry vault key and passed it to his godson. Harry pocketed it as they headed to the fireplace.

“Diagon Alley!” Harry shouted, shooting away and landing inside Ollivander’s. Sirius walked out of the fireplace with no troubles. Harry got up, dusting himself off. “I can never seem to get my footing right,” he groaned.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ll get your sea legs eventually,” Sirius replied, giving the wandmaker a wave. The wizened old man cringed behind his wands, clearly afraid of Sirius. He didn’t seem bothered at all as he and Harry walked out. Harry took point, ready to pick up some galleons in order to get all of his books.

“Mr. Black!” shouted a voice. Sirius finally put his book down, looking up to see an elderly man. He had short, well-kept hair, a nice, even black color. Everything about him was will-trimmed, with naught but the occasional age line on his face. His son, who appeared to be around Harry’s age, seemed just as bland, was very much like his father but with a permanent frown etched on his face.

“Mr. Nott,” Sirius replied, noticing the man was sporting a second wand. It had a white bone handle, but Nott put it away before Sirius could really study it.

“Mr. Black, it’s good to see you out and about,” he greeted, holding out his hand. Sirius shook it wearily. It was a single, solid shake before the men relaxed. “It’s good to see an innocent man been righted. Has there been any word on, well, you know,” he trailed off.

“Pettigrew? Nothing, but some of us like to believe that he was eaten,” Sirius said dryly. Nott Sr. seemed to rear back in disgust, hands going for his pocket.

“Dad, can we get going? We need to get my school supplies,” Nott Jr. interjected. Nott Sr. nodded, looking at Sirius.

“If you need readjusting, let me know. I would be more than happy to help the last man of the House of Black,” he said with a wrinkled smile.

Sirius shook his head; Harry gave him a confused look. “Family issues, things I think we should talk about when we get to Gringotts,” Sirius explained. Harry nodded, not sure why Sirius didn’t want to talk about any of his family members.

They didn’t get any grief at the bank and they easily headed onto to the tram while the goblin got it ready.

“So?” Harry asked casually, looking at Sirius. He closed his eyes.

“My parents were paranoid, never trusted anyone. They did, however, support my brother, Regulus, after he joined the Death Eaters. My parents couldn’t have been prouder, despite their own desire to stay safe. My family, Harry, is filled with support for the Dark Arts. In fact, I am a bit of a black sheep in the fact that I am a Gryffindor,” he explained.

“That’s it?” Harry asked. He was never bothered by family issues; his own wasn’t exactly a good example of Muggles.

“I didn’t think it would bother you, but it was why Nott addressed me so happily. He thinks I will take up after my family after being shafted by working for the Order. Not likely,” he chuckled. “I ended up running away at an early age because of all the pressures of home life. I’m not proud of it,” he replied, finally getting it off his chest.

“Well, that explains why that painting screeches like it does. We are going to have to put another Silencing Spell on her,” Harry reminded.

“I swear that house elf is constantly undermining my efforts,” Sirius cursed. Harry smirked a bit; even though he knew he shouldn’t, he was still bothered by his godfather’s treatment of the creature.

“About that, I really think you could lay off Kreacher. He really doesn’t deserve the abuse,” Harry replied, looking at Sirius. The man didn’t reply at first; instead closing his eyes.

“Why?” Sirius asked. “That damn thing deserves it.” Harry frowned at his godfather.

“You’re starting to remind me of how another man treated his house elf,” Harry shot back, his voice a little cross. Sirius glanced at him, expecting Harry to clarify.

“And that would be?” he asked, encouraging an explanation.

“Lucius Malfoy,” Harry said bitterly. “He regularly beat his house elf, Dobby, who happens to be a good friend of mine – even if he is a little unorthodox by elf standards,” Harry admitted. Sirius looked like he had just recovered from a blow to the gut.

“I’ll try,” he replied quietly, looking forward. “My mother was never too thrilled about house elf treatment.”

“You’re starting to sound like my father,” Harry grinned. They glanced at each other for a second before breaking into laughter. The goblin turned to give them a confused look, clearly thinking both of these wizards were off their rockers.

“Wizards,” he muttered to himself as the tram came to a stop. They collected the money they needed before heading to Flourish and Blotts. Much to Harry’s surprise and protest, Sirius covered all of his school expenses.

“Sirius, that was the reason I went to the bank to start with,” Harry protested. Sirius waved him off, placing his coins on the table.

“I know that, but it’s your money. Take a look around and see if there’s anything you find interesting,” he smiled, waving his hand around the store. Harry scowled but the teller had already completed the transaction. With a small shrug, he moved away to scan the many unending rows of books. Before he knew it, he was in the dueling section.

“Practical Spells for Dueling,” Harry read. “By Filius Flitwick.” Harry paused, picking the book up for a closer look. It was filled to the brim with all sorts of different dueling spells, as well as forms, wrist movements, even wand upkeep to help keep spells fluid. Harry smirked as he closed the book and checked the price. He nearly dropped it. “That’s a lot of galleons,” he murmured, glancing back at Sirius. But thanks to his godfather, he did have some extra money, so why not? Harry paid for the book and flipped open as he began to read.

His money was now low but he wasn’t too terribly concerned as they headed back out onto the brick alleyway. Sirius insisted on taking care of everything and carrying it all in a small bag, even though Harry kept telling him that he could carry his own supplies.

“Hey, Harry!” Ron greeted, dashing over to see his friend. Harry put his new book down as Ron gave him a look of concern. “Not you too. Please don’t tell me you’re turning into a book worm,” Ron cried. Harry handed him the book while Ron realized what it was.

“Taking up dueling, Harry?” Fred asked.

“Then again, with your luck, it’s probably a good idea,” George finished. Ron handed him back the book as the rest of his family appeared as well.

“Hello, Harry,” Mr. Weasley greeted. Ginny muttered something that vaguely sounded like “hello”. Harry nodded, shaking hands with Mr. Weasley.

“Guess what, Harry? We got tickets to see the World Cup!” Ron nearly shouted, eyes going wide. He looked to his father. “We have an extra ticket, can Harry come as well?” he asked.

“If he wants to,” Mr. Weasley replied, pulling out an extra ticket. Harry looked at Sirius; his godfather shrugged his shoulders.

“Thank you,” Harry smiled, accepting the ticket. “Wait, you said ‘as well.’ Who else is coming?” he asked, looking at Ron.

“We met Hermione earlier, she’s coming too,” Ron replied, seeming more excited about the game than anything else. Harry smiled, hoping to see her as well. “Oh well, guess what? Wood is going to playing in the World Cup!”

“When, wait, what?!” Harry replied, a shocked expression on his face.

“Yeah, after the game we went to see, Wood started playing and he did amazingly well. Some even think it’s thanks to him that England is going to be playing against Bulgaria.”

“I never would have thought. I haven’t been able to keep up on it,” Harry admitted. Ron’s jaw dropped, making look like he had just gotten slapped.

“We’ll pick you up. Make sure you’re packed and we’re going to be camping as well,” Mr. Weasley said, cutting off the conversation. “We need to be going,” he reminded, causing Ron to moan. Harry smiled at his friend as he walked away. Harry and Sirius headed off through Diagon Alley. Harry was in need of a new cauldron.

“Well, Barty Crouch, good to see you,” Sirius smiled. The man froze like a deer caught in headlight. Harry looked confused, not knowing who he was.

“Mr. Black,” he smiled, faltering for a second. “So good to see you.” The corners of his mouth twitched as he eyed Sirius.

“So, I hear things are running smoothly in the administration,” he commented. Crouch sighed, the smile falling from his face.

“Look, I get it, Black. You’re mocking me. I’m sorry, I don’t regret my actions but you didn’t deserve the time in Azkaban. Here, I happen to have a few extra tickets to the World Cup. It’s not much, but making me squirm isn’t going to help,” he explained, digging into his pocket.

“I don’t know. It makes me feel a lot better. Your tactics wound up with an innocent man in jail,” Sirius retorted, crossing his arm. Harry gave him a nudge.

“Let it go. You haven’t given anyone grief and you have tickets to see the World Cup as well,” Harry said. Sirius frowned, upset that his fun was now being ruined.

“Fine, killjoy,” he muttered, looking to Crouch. “Fine, just do a better job from now on,” he seethed, spotting Nott a little ways off. “Especially when there are better targets,” he added under his breath. Sirius pocketed the tickets he was handed before Crouch all but ran off.

“Was that really necessary?” Harry asked, surprisingly calm as he looked at his godfather.

“Yes it was. Because of his rules and regulations, I got put in Azkaban without a trail. It’s also the reason that some people got off with no issues. Trust me, the system needs to be shaken up a bit so people like Nott and Malfoy aren’t allowed free,” Sirius explained with a frown. Harry grimaced, realizing that Sirius did indeed have a point. Draco’s father caused a lot of problems with Tom Riddle’s diary and he still got off scot-free.

“Understandable, but it was still pretty mean,” Harry replied.

“I understand your point of view, Harry, but the world isn’t black and white. People in the Ministry are just as dangerous as Death Eaters if they feel like making you a villain is more appropriate than celebrating,” Sirius responded. “So, be careful as you get older. Don’t be surprised if people try to drag you into politics and other fun things. In fact, the reason you got a Merlin award with all the press was to make it seem like there was water under the bridge,” Sirius explained.

“Sounds fun and pointless,” Harry replied, disgust in his voice. “Do you remember why they gave me an Order of Merlin award, Sirius?”

Sirius gave him a pointed look. “For figuring out the truth and setting an innocent man free,” he explained. “They told you this, did you forget already?” Harry shrugged, not making a big deal out of it. “Anyways, politics is probably one of the dirtiest fights you can get into.” Harry was about to make a reply when Hermione shouted at him.

“Harry!” she called. Harry blinked, forgetting about the Ministry as she pulled him into a tight hug. “Ouch, what are you reading?” she asked, taking note of the book in his arms. Harry smiled as he handed her the book. “Dueling? You’re going to let me borrow it right?” she asked, flipping through the pages and spotting the spells.

“Soon as I’m done,” he replied as she handed the book back.

“So, did you get your homework done?” she asked, flashing a smile and revealing her buck teeth for a moment.

“Got it done in the first week,” he replied, nodding his head proudly. “And Sirius has been helping me work on new spells as well,” he admitted. Hermione blinked in surprise.

“Look out, Hermione. If Harry has even half of his mom’s skill, your title for the brightest is in trouble,” Sirius teased.

“Really?” Hermione asked, clearly more intrigued than threatened.

“Yeah, Lily was amazing with magic. I heard she even turned a flower petal into a fish,” Sirius admitted. Hermione stared in surprise with Harry. “But get ahold of yourself, it’s just a rumor. I doubt she was that good when she was little. I mean, even for a person who grew up around magic their whole life, it would be difficult, pureblood or otherwise,” Sirius quickly denied.

“Wait, she was a muggleborn as well?” Hermione asked casually.

“Yeah, in fact, you really remind me of her,” Sirius replied, nodding. Hermione blushed red at the comment.

“Thank you. Hey, did you see Ron?” she asked casually.

“Yeah, he invited me to join them for the World Cup,” Harry replied, nodding. Hermione smiled at that.

“So did I. I can’t wait to go,” she smiled. Harry raised an eyebrow at her. “I always wanted to know what they do to keep so many wizards from being discovered.” Harry nodded, finding that believable; she wasn’t all that big on sports. “Well, I have to get going. I still have some more supplies to pick up.” Harry nodded, understanding as she went back to her parents.

“Never would have believed it if I didn’t see it myself,” Sirius said with a smile, nudging Harry in the shoulder. He turned to give his godfather a confused look.

“I don’t follow,” Harry replied. Sirius pointed to Hermione as she faded into the crowd.

“I hear some men and women go after people who remind them of their opposite sex parent. I didn’t see it, but she is a firecracker and reminds me of Lily,” Sirius said with an all knowing smile.

“Me and Hermione? No, no, we-we’re just friends,” Harry quickly denied. Sirius shrugged as they walked on.

“If you say so, but just so you know, you’re going to be having a dance this year. Keep an eye out for possible dates,” he said, causing Harry to think about their words. “We have three tickets. I plan on asking Lupin to come. You got anyone to invite?” Sirius asked, finishing up their shopping.

“You’re not going to ask Blythe?” asked Harry.

“Why do you ask?” Sirius asked, taking pause.

“Well, you two kept me up for a long time the past few months. I figured you two were going out or something,” Harry replied.

“I could have sworn I put up silence wards,” Sirius swore, snapping his fingers in bewilderment.

“I knew it!” Harry shouted. Sirius jumped in surprise at having been caught.

“You sneaky devil,” Sirius chided. “But to answer your question, we haven’t talked in a while. Good to see you still got some James left in you,” Sirius chuckled, making a mental note to keep a closer eye on Harry. “Wait, she will be playing, that’s why I can’t invite her.”

“I know. Seems those gears are slipping, old man,” Harry teased. “So, about the earlier question,” Harry started, looking a little smug at getting Sirius back for his teasing. “I think I know someone who may be interested in joining us.”


	4. Dreams and Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and company arrive to watch the Quidditch World Cup

“Morning, Harry,” Sirius said as Harry came down the stairs for breakfast. It was about a week until he was scheduled to catch the Hogwarts Express and the day before the Quidditch World Cup. Sirius glanced up from the Daily Prophet to see the look on his godson’s face. “Something wrong?”

“Nightmare, I think,” he murmured, attempting to brush it off. “I think we need to be extra wary of Nott Sr. though.”

“And why is that?” Sirius pressed, wanting to get the whole story. “I want to hear all about it.”

“The dream I had last night. I saw him and I’m assuming Voldemort talking about a plan for his return – and it involved me. There was some mention of a woman that they killed and I saw them kill a Muggle right before the dream ended,” Harry explained.

Sirius adorned a thoughtful expression and he mulled over the pieces of the dream that Harry had presented him with. “Quite the strange dream, if I do say so myself,” he finally said. “Well, we’ll be at Hogwarts within a week’s time. We’ll have to talk to Dumbledore about this. Perhaps he can offer some insight.”

“Sounds like a plan then,” Harry agreed, finally sitting down and starting on his breakfast.

“Hey, you never did tell me who you invited to come with us to the World Cup,” Sirius pressed.

“Oh, a friend from school. His name is Leo Holmes,” he replied. “He helped us set Buckbeak free. I figured I should probably repay him somehow.”

“I like the way you think,” Sirius smiled. “When did he say he was going to show up?”

“Some time tonight. Oh, I forgot to ask if it was okay for him to spend the night,” Harry grinned.

“I got no problem with it. That might actually make things a little less stressful,” Sirius laughed. “Then we won’t have to wait for him, just Remus, and he’s always on time so we don’t have to worry about that.” Harry nodded, finishing off his breakfast. The two spent the rest of the day going over new spells for the third and fourth years. Shortly after dinner, Leo arrived in the fireplace, Lupin right behind him.

“Remus, I thought you were going to show up in the morning,” Sirius said, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“Figured this might be easier,” he shrugged. “I see Leo will be joining us as well,” he commented, looking at the blonde boy readjusting his ponytail.

“Harry invited him along,” Sirius explained.

“So, how’s your summer been?” Leo asked Harry, stepping away from the adults. “I didn’t know you guys knew a teacher personally.”

“It’s been pretty good,” Harry replied, leading him to the upstairs. “Sirius and Lupin have been making me learn new spells. The only good thing is that I’m going to have a headstart on everybody else.”

“Sounds like it’s been relatively fun then,” Leo laughed. “Where’s the rest of your group?”

“We’re going to meet them at the Cup,” Harry replied. “We had thought about everyone staying at the Burrow but we remembered that their house isn’t exactly all that big. Besides, Ron’s parents aren’t the biggest fans of Sirius.”

“Why? I thought he was proven innocent,” Leo stated.

“Yeah, but the people who were around when he was imprisoned are still uneasy around him, an assumed Death Eater and murderer,” Harry explained. “But the fact that I have no issues staying with him and that nothing has happened to me thus far should speak volumes.”

“Hey, I’m with you guys. In fact, I’m still trying to figure out why I was placed in Slytherin,” Leo said, extending his hand to Hedwig.

“I don’t know, you seem to fit the bill fairly well,” Harry joked.

“Says the man who, in my opinion, doesn’t belong in Gryffindor,” Leo grinned.

“Hey, don’t stay up too late,” Sirius hollered up the stairs. “We have to get up extremely early to get there on time tomorrow.”

The following morning was hectic. Sirius had Leo and Harry awake far earlier than they would have liked. In fact, it was so early, all the boys did was push around their breakfast, a fact that Lupin was quick to comment on.

“Did we have to get up this early, Sirius?” Harry asked, setting aside his breakfast.

“Would you rather be rushed out the door right before we miss our ride?” he asked, finishing off his own food.

“Dude, neither of us are hungry. Can we get going now?” Leo asked, standing to his feet. Sirius gave him a glance before inclining his head and motioned for them to follow him. He led them to the park that wasn’t far from Grimmauld Place.

“Sirius, why didn’t we take the Floo Network?” Harry asked, following his godfather around a large tree.

“There’s no fireplace there. We have to travel by something entirely different,” he replied. Harry opened his mouth to ask but Lupin cut straight to the chase.

“We’re taking a portkey, Harry.”

“A portkey?” Leo asked. “What in the world is a portkey?”

“A portkey is any item that a Muggle is bound to believe as rubbish. The only difference is that it is enchanted to teleport a witch or wizard to someplace else,” Lupin explained. “The portkey we’re looking for is designed to leave at a preset time, the reason why we woke so early this morning.”

“Aha! I found it!” Sirius shouted, rushing a few feet ahead of them. The three quickly caught up to see Sirius holding onto a folded old newspaper that was beginning to turn yellow.

“That’s a portkey?” Harry asked in astonishment.

“Yep, now get in close and take hold of it. We’ve only got a few seconds left until it leaves,” Sirius stated, holding out the newspaper. They took hold, Harry and Leo more tentatively then Lupin. The two young boys exchanged a glance only a second before a hook seemed to grab them behind their belly button.

Suddenly, the group was rapidly spinning through the air, the wind creating a deafening sound in their ears. Harry thought he might become sick at any given moment and right before he thought he could take no more, everything stopped. The world still felt like it was spinning but it wasn’t.

“London’s just arrived,” a man spoke not too far away. Harry and Leo glanced up to see Sirius handing the used portkey to a man behind a table.

“Sirius Black, party of four,” Sirius stated, pulling tickets out of his pocket.

“What a way to travel,” Leo said, eyes clearly unfocused as he tried to gain his bearings again. “I don’t like it.” Harry grinned at his statement.

“Well, are you boys ready?” Sirius asked, rejoining the group. “I’ve got all of the-” Sirius paused what he was saying as another portkey arrived a few feet away from them. Harry and Leo turned to see a family of fiery redheads accompanied by Hermione. Not far behind them, Harry saw Cedric Diggory, the Captain and Seeker of Hufflepuff house, with a man that must have been his father.

“Oi, Harry! You made it!” Ron cried, stumbling over the ground towards where Harry stood. “Mum and Dad were a bit worried but we completely forgot that Lupin was coming with you.”

“Honestly, Ron. He’s fine, can’t you tell?” Hermione sighed, stepping next to the trio of boys.

“Hey, Granger,” Leo said, drawing out her surname. “Didn’t know you were into sports. You never cease to surprise me.” Hermione rolled her eyes, smirking none the less.

“Do you guys have any idea where your tent is at?” Ron asked in a hurried voice.

“You’d have to talk with Sirius,” Harry shrugged. “It sounded like he was going to tell us right before your portkey arrived.”

“Poor timing on our part, huh?” Ron grinned.

“Hiya, Harry!” Fred and George said in unison, each clasping a hand on Harry’s shoulder. He jumped slightly before grinning at the twins.

“Well, kids,” Mr. Weasley said, walking over to the group. The adults all followed after him. “It seems fate is smiling on you. Our spots are right next to each other.” Harry and Ron turned to each other and exchanged a rather large smile.

“Looks like there’ll be at least one representative from each of the Hogwarts houses,” Leo said dryly, staring pointedly at Cedric, and another man presumably the man’s father.

“Well, close enough. We are still missing a Ravenclaw,” Hermione pointed out.

“Good point,” Leo admitted, frowning with realization.

“Sirius Black,” the man said, panic seeping from his eyes.

“Oh, yes. This is Amos Diggory and his son, Cedric. Amos works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures,” Mr. Weasley explained.

“Yeah, he was one of the seekers back when James and I were in school. Good to see you again,” Sirius said, clearly on his best behavior.

“Yeah, so, this must be Harry Potter and Remus Lupin?” Amos replied casually, regaining his composure. Lupin, Harry and Leo all said hi to them both.

“Ced’s talked about you before, of course,” Amos continued, directing his attention to Harry. “Told us all about playing you last year. I said to him, I said – Ced, that’ll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will. You beat Harry Potter,” Amos said. Harry stood there, unsure of how to respond. Cedric gave an embarrassed grin as he looked at his dad. Lupin glanced over at the man, clearly not comfortable with the comment.

“Yeah, too bad for you, Amos, there were no dementors to take me out when I finally took you out in my fourth year,” Sirius smiled, looking over at Amos. “Maybe next Quidditch season, we can see what happens when we don’t have magical creatures attacking the field,” Sirius said, clearly unhappy with the comment directed at his godchild.

Amos opened his mouth, doing his best interpretation of a fish as Cedric shook his head, leading his father away from the group. Lupin frowned at Sirius.

“What?” Sirius asked, looking a bit hurt at the accusing glare his friend was giving him. “He was picking on my godson, rather childishly at that. I wasn’t going to stand around and let them pick on him.” Lupin said nothing but shook his head.

“Some things never change,” he muttered under his breath.

“Anyway,” Mr. Weasley interjected, glancing at the twins. They were chuckling over the comment Sirius made. Both stopped quickly when they saw Mr. Weasley looking at them but they couldn’t hide the approving grin on their faces. Sirius reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of bills, seeming to count them in his head.

“Now for the fun part,” Sirius griped. “Muggle money – always so complicated,” he cursed under his breath. “Here, our tent should be here.” Sirius pointed to a spot on the paper he was handing Lupin. “I need to go pay for our campground,” he informed. Lupin nodded, taking the paper.

“As do I. Um, would you, um,” Mr. Weasley said nervously as he fished out a few bills of his own. Sirius nodded as he walked off with the redheaded father right behind him.

“Hey, um, Hermione, I was wondering if I could sit next to you so I can get a good view?” Leo asked.

“How would sitting next to me improve your view?” she asked, a little confused. Leo gave her a pleading smile. “Fine,” she consented, sighing as she turned away. Leo did a victory fist pump. Ron gave him a solid glare while Harry glanced between them, confusion evident on his face.

“Well, here we are,” Lupin stated, tossing a small bag in the middle of a small patch of grass before them. Leo gave a quick nod, taking out his wand. He walked over to the side of the tent, Harry following suit. With a quick swish and flick, the tent started to rise. Harry quickly grabbed the tent poles as he fed them into the tent. With the last stake in place, the three entered to find a two room cabin-like area.

“Wow,” Harry said, glancing around. There were two doors to the side, not to mention a fireplace on the back wall. He would never have guessed the tent had all these things inside of it.

“The world never ceases to amaze, huh, Harry?” Lupin asked, sitting down at one of the wood chairs around the kitchen table. Harry nodded, noticing a sofa and recliner near a crackling wood fire. Leo quickly hopped onto the recliner, kicking up his feet and making himself at home. A fine layer of dust erupted from the chair causing Leo to cough.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we dusted the old thing off,” Sirius commented, walking into the tent. “Good job on putting the old girl up,” he said, smiling as he looked around.

Sirius walked over, shooing Leo out of the chair. He grumbled a bit as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.

“Sirius, I have a question I need to ask you,” Harry stated. Sirius glanced over at his godson, giving him a warm smile.

“Sure thing, Harry, ask away,” he replied casually, leaning back in the recliner.

“How do you know so much about Muggle money? Most wizards I can think of hardly handle it,” Harry asked. Leo and Lupin both glanced over, curiosity evident in both of them.

“Well,” Sirius started, shifting uncomfortably under their gaze. “I learned about it because it would spite my mother,” he explained. Lupin nodded, grabbing the Daily Prophet. He quickly opened it up, clearly understanding what Sirius meant by the statement. Leo and Harry exchanged glances, a little confused.

“What do you mean, Sirius?” Harry asked, hoping for some clarification on the statement since he didn’t know a whole lot on the Black family.

“I would rather not talk about it,” Sirius murmured, glancing over at Leo for a brief second. Leo shrugged, understanding why he would be a little uncomfortable talking about his family with a relative stranger in their presence. “Well, I better look over the fridge. I need to make sure the preservation spells are still working,” he said, changing the topic as he stood up from his chair. He glanced at Harry for a brief moment. “We’ll talk about it later. Besides, I will need you to know about it eventually, being the newest addition to the Black family.” Sirius gave Harry a slap on the back, walking over to the dinosaur of a fridge.

“Hey, Harry! You want to hang out? We got some time before we need to head to the stadium,” Ron mentioned, poking his head into the tent. “Wow, you guys got a lot more room than we do. Can I bunk with you guys?” he asked, a big smile on his face.

Harry looked over at Lupin who simply shrugged as he went back to his paper.

“I don’t care!” Sirius shouted, rummaging through the fridge.

“Wicked,” Ron grinned, racing inside. “I can’t wait for the game! This is going to be so cool to see Krum back in action. England’s Puddlemere United vs. Bulgaria and Viktor Krum. I have no idea who to root for. And the best part, Wood is playing Keeper!” he all but shouted. Harry blinked in surprise as he glanced over at Leo.

“Well then, things are going to be interesting. Britain vs. Bulgaria. My money is on Wood. Honestly, Krum is such a showoff,” Leo replied, waving the Quidditch star off. Ron looked as though he had just been slapped in the face.

“Take that back,” Ron said in a low voice.


	5. Sonic Leaguers and Veela

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Quidditch World Cup and some surprising additions.....

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 422nd World Quidditch Cup. Here we have England vs. Bulgaria. After an amazing game by England’s new keeper, Mr. Wood, keeping the Transylvania team from scoring a single point. With the new blood on the block, shall we see how well Viktor Krum and the Bulgaria team fares?” shouted a voice over what Harry assumed was an intercom. He smirked a bit, starting up the stairs, Ron walking next to him. The amount of wizards running around was mind boggling.

It wasn’t long before they were passed by a salesmen that kept apparating every few feet.

“I have been saving all my pocket money up for this,” Ron smiled, racing off to get a few souvenirs. After a few moments, he returned with an England hat complete with a flag that appeared to wave in the wind, a blue rosette and a mini figure of Krum. Hermione put on a grumpy expression, causing Ron to look a bit dejected in spite of his new toys.

“And now you know why I don’t like buying souvenirs,” Leo muttered, voicing his opinion on the items Ron had gotten.

“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked, giving him a concerned look.

“I just wish I had a bit more pocket money. There was this really cool Omniculars that could slow things down and stuff but I got this hat before I noticed it. It would have been really cool to get one,” Ron admitted. Harry looked over at the salemen.

“Four pairs of the Omniculars,” Harry shouted over the crowd.

“No, don’t bother,” Ron said, going red. Leo perked up a bit as Harry held four of the devices and made his way back.

“You won’t be getting anything for Christmas,” Harry said as he handed the magical item to Hermione. “For about ten years, mind.”

“Fair enough,” Ron said, grinning.

“Ooh, thanks, Harry,” Hermione said. “And I’ll get us some programs.”

“Here,” Leo said, pulling out ten galleons of his own and handing them to Harry. He pushed his hand back. “Look, I am not going to let you pay for my things,” Leo said, pushing his hand back.

“How about this?” Sirius interrupted, pouring a handful of galleons into Harry’s hand. “I paid for them so pocket your damn money. We need to get going,” he all but ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Leo chirped out. Sirius gave a small smile. “He scares me,” he whispered to Harry. The group moved on, with Mr. Weasley taking the lead of the massive group.

“Prime seats!” said a Ministry witch at the entrance. It was a long walk up but they finally got to the very top.

“Wow,” Leo said. “What an amazing view.”

“Yeah, the arena looks really amazing. Did you know it took them a year to get everything ready for the cup?” Hermione asked, looking at Leo who was staring dreamily into space. “Are you even listening?” she scolded.

“Something about a year’s worth of preparation and spells to keep the Muggles out,” Leo repeated. Hermione blinked, surprised that he was in fact listening to her.

“Well, that’s a nice change of pace,” she murmured, sitting down. Ron and Leo grabbed seats on either side of her. Ron didn’t seem as excited to be here as he originally did. Harry just shrugged it off.

They were right at the halfway point between the golden hoops. Harry looked behind him and spotted a house elf.

“I bet it’s saving a seat for its master. Best leave it alone, those creatures are so odd,” Leo said, following Harry’s gaze.

“Yeah, odd,” he replied. Sirius and the rest of the group almost took up the entire front row.

“I take it you had a few examples yourself?” Leo asked.

“I still can’t believe people treat them like that. The poor thing,” Hermione interjected, having pity on the wrinkly creature.

“To be honest, house elves are given something in return,” Leo replied, glancing over at Hermione.

“What do you mean?” she asked, looking over at Leo. He bit his lip for a second.

“House elves need magical energy. More specifically, magical energy from a wizarding house to exist. They don’t eat, they don’t sleep, you know, people things. So, they live in a wizarding house and they earn their keep. It’s a beneficial situation under normal circumstances,” Leo explained.

“Oh,” Hermione said.

“How do you know all of that?” Ron asked.

“I am well read?” Leo replied, shrugging. Hermione opened her mouth but a new set of voices entered the area. It wasn’t long before people starting filing in, Percy and Mr. Weasley shaking the hands of important wizards.

A few people tried to shake Sirius’s hand but he brushed them off. Harry felt a bit confused at the action; it seemed only friendly. Then the Minister of Magic entered with a few people as well.

“Sirius,” Fudge exclaimed, moving past Percy who turned to send Fudge and Sirius a glare. Sirius put on his best face as Fudge shook both his and Harry’s hand.

“And the Bulgarian Minister,” Sirius said, recognizing the man. The two shook and a third figure appeared behind them. “The President of the Magical States of America,” Sirius stated, surprise in his voice. The man was as tall as the Minister but wore a Muggle suit, reminding Harry of a much thinner Uncle Vernon.

“Pleasure,” the man said, reaching out and shaking his hand before quickly pulling back. “Prime Minister, there is something I would like to discuss with you.”

“Sure, sure,” Fudge said, almost waving the President off. He was clearly angered by this action but didn’t respond as they moved away.

“Politics,” Sirius muttered, noticing a familiar face framed by white blonde hair. His face brightened suddenly.

“Sirius,” Lupin warned in a low voice.

“Fine,” Sirius muttered, understanding the unsaid. “Mr. Malfoy,” he said, standing to greet the presumed Death Eater.

“Sirius and Arthur,” Mr. Malfoy drawled. “Good Lord, what did you have to sell to get seats in the top box? Surely your house wouldn’t have fetched this much?”

“Holmes, is that you?” the younger Malfoy asked, spotting his fellow Slytherin sitting next to Hermione. Leo didn’t respond.

“A friend of yours?” Mr. Malfoy asked.

“A guest of mine,” Sirius emphasized in a cold tone. “I would prefer if you didn’t insult them,” he ordered, stepping up. The two opposites glared at each other. Harry looked at them, noticing that they were almost complete opposites but with a few glaring similarities.

“But of course,” Mr. Malfoy said, breaking off the glare to get his own seat. Sirius stood his ground, watching the man and his family sit down. He adjusted his collar, returning to his own seat.

“Slimy git,” Ron muttered under his breath.

“Agreed,” Leo maintained. Nearly every eye under red hair turned to look at him. “What? He is.”

Harry’s attention, however, was quickly taken back to the game before him. “Everyone ready?” Ludo bagman shouted.

Harry watched the massive arena, Ludo’s voice echoing around. He was barely paying attention as he announced the mascots.

“I wonder what they brought?” Mr. Weasley wondered out loud.

“Looks like veela!” Lupin observed.

“What are veel – ” What came next was something Harry never would have guessed as what appeared to be a hundred beautiful women gilded onto the field. He felt his eyelids go heavy, wondering how they could be so beautiful and before he knew it, he wasn’t worried about anything at all. Music filled the air and the vela started to dance.

“Harry, what are you doing?” Hermione asked, the music cutting out. Blinking, Harry quickly realized that Ron and Leo were in a similar state as angry yells filled the stadium. Mr. Weasley reached over and pulled on Ron’s hat.

“You’re going to want to keep that on if England has its way.” He smiled as Harry looked over at Leo, now folded into his chair.

“Huh?” Ron asked, a little slack jawed from the veela.

“Honestly,” Hermione groaned, shaking her head.

“And now for the England National Team mascots!” Ludo announced. Suddenly there was a massive bang and shock wave as a group of creatures rocketed out of a firework explosion.

“England! England!”

“Incredible, sonic leaguers! They are creatures made entirely out of sound wave and native to England. I am surprised they managed to get them to perform, very unruly creatures,” Lupin revealed. Hermione pouted at him. “What?”

“I think she wanted to explain it,” Sirius informed, elbowing him in the arm. They started cheering and it seemed even louder than Ludo. The sonic leaguers moved back up and started orbiting around the field.

The Bulgarian team flew onto the field, Ludo naming each one in turn. The scarlet clad figures rose into the air. Lastly, Krum showed up; the man looked like an overgrown bird of prey. Ron rushed to his feet and cheered.

“And now for the HOME team: the England National Quidditch Team!” Ludo shouted, listing off the red striped players as they flew in. “Oliver Wood.” The whole front row of the box stood and cheered for the former Gryffindor as he circled the arena, waving to Harry and the others. “Blythe Parkin!” Sirius whistled as the woman passed by. She gave him a slight wave.

“Some things never change,” Lupin groaned, everyone turning to look at him. He gave them a relaxed smile.

“Hey, it’s been over thirteen years,” Sirius replied, an expression of mock hurt on his face.

“And let the games begin!” Ludo shouted as the Quaffle flew into the air. The players raced after it, one of the Bulgarian Chasers heading straight for Wood. He tossed the ball for one of the rings. Wood kept a cool head, knocking the ball away.

Again and again, the Bulgarian team tried to score but not a single shot was made. Wood slammed his fist into the ball, spiking it across the arena. England scored another ten points.

Krum raced over the stadium, moving as fast as possible. England was now, thanks to Wood, a defensive team. Wood was almost impossible to score against. Blythe was keeping on Krum’s tail but she wasn’t as fast as the bird-like Seeker.

Harry kept his eyes peeled, noticing that the England team was working in a very familiar pattern. In fact, a few of the moves seemed right out of Wood’s playbook from back home.

“Fool, Krum feigned!” Mr. Weasley shouted. Both Lupin and Sirius were on their feet shouting the word as well. Harry soon spotted everyone next to him live with excitement. Even Hermione, who was normally calm during a game, was shouting as well.

Wood leaped off his broom, knocking the Quaffle out of the air. He fell back, grabbing onto the broom handle and dangled for a second before swinging back on like a monkey. The Quaffle came back around and he leaped up, swinging the broom like a bat. He knocked the ball halfway across the field.

“And what a return with England Chaser Avery snatching the Quaffle clean out of the air. Another ten points for England!” shouted Ludo. The score was gradually rising as Wood kept up a level of defense unheard of. The Bulgarian team couldn’t get a single point on the board.

“Shut out! Shut out!” Leo cried, pumping his fist in the air as the score slowly rose. Soon, the entire crowd was chanting, all wanting to see a shut out. The pressure was now all on the Seekers – Krum and Parkin.

The two seemed to have spotted gold as they were now racing down the arena, moving neck and neck. The crowd was roaring as the points lined up. One hundred and forty. Krum needed that Snitch if his team was going to win. Harry watched with a critical eye. Krum seemed like he wasn’t even on a broom when a sudden thought entered his head.

“If you ever want to play in the big leagues, there is your competition.” Harry shook the thought off as he watched the two move up and down as the random ball of gold entered his vision. Now that he had it in his eyes, he would never let it out of his sight.

“One hundred and fifty!” Ludo shouted. Everyone was so focused on the Seekers that they weren’t even watching the Chasers. “One hundred and sixty!” Harry kept his eyes focused as Krum started to close in on it. Sirius had a similar look on his face, having spotted the golden ball himself.

“Blast! I lost it,” Sirius cursed.

“It just zipped around the tower. They just looped around it,” Harry called back.

“Got it!” Sirius shouted, picking back up on the ball. Krum reached out, grasping the ball and suddenly raised his hand. The screens at both ends of the arena showed Krum holding the Snitch above his head.

“And that is the game! England wins!” Ludo shouted. Hermione leapt out of her seat, throwing her arms around both Ron and Leo, nearly knocking their heads together in the process. Fred and George hooked arms and started dancing.

“Why did he end it?” Hermione asked.

“Wood was too strong a goal tender. It was only a matter of time. He wanted to end it on his terms,” Harry explained. Hermione nodded.

“Ah, who cares? That sod may have got the Snitch but England gets the Cup!” Leo exclaimed, breaking up their conversation. The sonic leaguers started to roar a victory siren while the English team picked Wood up and literally carried him off the field.

“I got a feeling he is on top of the world right now,” Lupin chuckled. Harry was surprised that he could even hear the man.

“Yeah, I bet he is,” Harry agreed, looking down at the field. He watched as the teams did a quick round of handshaking with the Ministers. Wood waved at Harry. They gave each other a silent nod. Parkin was the last to round off as she left.

Harry glanced over to see the twins reaching for Ludo Bagman. The spectators began filing out and heading back down the stairs to camp.

Not too much later, they were back at Sirius’s tent where Ron was shouting Krum’s praises from the table. Leo was in all but a shouting match with the redheaded teen. In the middle of it, two more people entered the celebration.

“Tell your mother – ” Mr. Weasley started, talking to the twins, when the party stopped.

“Well, bet you didn’t think I would be paying you a visit, did you, Potter?” Wood said, standing the middle of the tent. “To the Seeker who me a big break!” Wood grabbed Harry in a massive hug. “I owe you one, big time, Potter,” he whispered. Harry gave a small smirk as Wood pulled away.

“Well, all the same, I took a chance and it paid off, Wood. Thank you, Harry,” Blythe Parkin said causally. In the brief silence, Harry heard something outside.

“The singing’s stopped,” Lupin observed, fear dawning on his face. The party quickly scattered to the front of the tent. People were running past, away from a group wearing tightly pointed hoods and their wands held high. Above them, Harry saw people floating in the nighttime air.

“Death Eaters,” Sirius hissed.


	6. The Death Eaters

“Time to break this up. Remus, you stick with the kids. Arthur and I will get the people moving. Harry, watch my back,” Sirius ordered, pulling out his wand.

“Wait, you’re taking Harry with you? That’s stupidly dangerous,” Remus pointed out, taking a step forward.

“Yeah, and sending him out into the woods with all this going on is just as brilliant. Harry can handle himself. We spent all summer teaching him,” Sirius retorted.

“He’s not James, he’s just a boy,” Remus started.

“I know he isn’t, but he’s safer with me and Arthur than he is running around, lost in the dark. Besides, he has more experience with the dark arts than most full grown wizards. He’ll be behind me the entire time,” Sirius said. Remus opened his mouth to protest but nothing came out. Sirius nodded, racing forward into the line of Death Eaters.

“Expelliarmus!” he shouted, blasting the lead Death Eater and knocking the man’s wand to the ground. This drew everyone’s attention to Sirius.

“Frontal attack, brilliant idea!” shouted Arthur, flicking his wand. All manner of objects floated into the air.

“Everyone, find some cover! Harry, follow me!” Sirius shouted. A few wizards stopped running when they heard Harry’s name.

“Stupefy!” Harry shouted, knocking back a Death Eater. Sirius gave him a small nod of approval. Harry kept his head down as the two of them moved around a tent. The Death Eater’s ranks suddenly started to disperse.

“They get even the slightest amount of opposition and they start running like cowards. With their Dark Lord, they are about as trusting as teenagers and a school yard prank,” Sirius murmured, more to himself than anything.

“Avada – ” one started.

“Stupefy!” Harry shouted, knocking the Death Eater to the ground before he could finish. The ranks quickly broke off as the hooded figures dove to the side. A green spell went flying by as Sirius knocked Harry to the side.

“How in the world did you talk me into this?” Arthur shouted, ducking behind a barrel just as a good chunk of it got blown off. Harry regained his footing and shot off another stunning spell. Sirius waved his wand, sending a shock wave. The sound of breaking objects and shouts started to spring back to life. Sirius appeared to have a deranged grin on his face as he stood up. A Death Eater shot a spell at him only for it to be deflected by the shield he had just conjured in front of him. Harry leaped up, setting off a few more spells, his lips giving voice to the incantations. The spells missed but he spotted a few more lights in the distance.

The black cloaked figures seemed to notice what was going on as a few suddenly disappeared in a haze of smoke, fleeing from the area.

“Apparation,” Arthur cursed. The last few vanished, seeing no one there to watch their back.

“Run, you little cowards!” Sirius shouted at the top of his lungs. “Arthur, start rounding these bodies up. If an innocent man can stand it, these lot should be right at home in Azkaban,” Sirius commented, looking down at one of the Death Eater’s unconscious bodies.

The Weasley father popped up, glancing over at a Muggle family floating in the night sky. “We might want to start getting them down. The Ministry is going to have a panic attack from all of this. An international incident; the paperwork for all this is going to be mountainous. Good thing that’s not my department,” he sighed, more to himself.

“The Aurors should be here soon, Arthur. You think you can handle them? Since Harry and I aren’t part of the Ministry, this could get us in a spot of trouble,” Sirius explained.

“Sure, more glory for me, I guess. Better get moving,” he replied, looking down at the three men bound on the ground. Harry picked up his feet, racing after Sirius. He glanced back to see Arthur waving over a small group of wizards.

Sirius held his wand up, dimly lighting the ground. “Come on, this way,” Sirius directed, moving into a small clearing.

“Serves you right,” Malfoy sneered. Leo was pressing his fingers into the dark grass, desperately looking for something. Leo ignored him, instead moving around frantically, trying to find his wand.

“Leo, it’s gone. You’re not going to find it,” Hermione said in a quiet voice.

“What did I miss?” Sirius asked, walking into the clearing. Harry glanced over, noticing a house elf not too far behind the group.

“Leo can’t find his wand. It’s gone missing,” Hermione said. Malfoy chuckled at his fellow Slytherin’s distress. Leo stood up, clearly upset over his missing wand but still kept his mouth shut all the same. “And, um, a house elf, Winky. She showed up here as well. Thankfully, we managed to keep everyone together.”

Sirius nodded. “Good thing, we don’t need to go looking around for the twins and the girl,” he replied, looking at them.

“And here I thought this was a good night with the bet we had won,” Fred commented. George just shrugged.

“There are more important things than money,” Ginny reminded.

“Yeah, like someone with shining armor.”

“And black hair.”

“And maybe a nice pair of glasses to hide some-” they started to call back. Ginny turned almost as red as her hair.

“Shut up!” she shouted at their teasing. Sirius chuckled, eliciting an elbow to the shoulder from Remus.

“We are not out of the woods yet. Let’s get moving; we should try to find the Aurors and get as much distance between this place and us,” Remus ordered. Everyone gave him a solemn nod.

“Good idea, Remus. Will the blonde over there be joining us?” Sirius asked, looking over at Malfoy.

“I’ll be fine without you lot,” he said with a smug smile. It slowly shifted into a glare on his rat-like face. “Especially with someone like him around,” he added, looking at Lupin before quickly turning tail and running off. Remus took a step to chase him down only for Sirius to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“If anyone is safe in these woods by themselves, it’s him. Let’s get moving,” Sirius reminded. Remus stopped with a sigh, taking a deep breath and starting to walk with the rest back to the tent.

“Well then, let’s get moving,” Remus said as they made their way back. Harry glanced around the group, wand still in his hand. The group moved slowly, both the adults and the twins keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Harry glanced into the woods, noticing a lone figure. He tapped Hermione on the shoulder and managed to get the rest of the group’s attention.

The figure pulled something out of his pocket that had a blue glow at one end. He hastily shoved it back into his pocket, pulling out a wand instead.

“MORSMORDRE!” he shouted, pointing the wand at the sky. Suddenly, the sky glowed green and a massive skull appeared with an equally as massive snake crawling through and wrapping around it.

“Sirius,” Harry pointed out as Sirius turned around to see the snake. Harry watched as Sirius’s face turned angry and he took out his wand, pointing it at the man. Everyone followed suit right before the figure vanished into the bushes. The group threw spells in his direction but to no avail.

“What’s going on? What is that?” Harry asked, noticing the amount of fear everyone was showing. He watched as the snake twisted and knotted itself around the skull. Hermione suddenly pulled him back; Ginny seemed to shrink behind his shadow.

“That’s his symbol, his mark,” Hermione whispered.

“Voldemort’s?” he asked, looking at Hermione with confusion. Leo nodded silently right as twenty wizards apparated in a circle around them. Each had their wands drawn and aimed at the group.

“Stupefy!” twenty voices cried out. Sirius and Remus dropped to the ground, spinning their wands and creating a small shield, deflecting a few spells in the process. Harry brought up his own shield as a few spells bounced away from him.

“Hold your fire!” Remus shouted. “We have kids here!” he ordered as the wands began to lower.

“Barty Crouch, Minister Fudge,” Sirius greeted as the man and a few other wizards joined the group. “Have either of you seen Mr. Weasley?” he asked, a massive grin on his face.

“Is my dad okay?” Ginny asked in a panic, pushing past Harry. Barty glared at her for the interruption as she quickly moved behind Harry once more. She grabbed onto his sleeve, looking at him for protection; Harry steeled himself as he looked back at the men.

“Mr. Weasley apprehended three of the rioters and will be recognized as a hero. However, we have more pressing matters to attend to – like you being a Death Eater,” he replied, pointing his wand straight at Sirius.

“Honestly, this again? You just can’t let anything go, can you?!” Sirius shouted, lowering his wand.

“We caught you at the scene of the crime. And the Dark Mark!” Crouch said, glaring at Sirius. Harry couldn’t help but notice a few other witches and wizards still had their wands leveled at him.

“That mark came from over there! We were shooting at the figure before you so rudely interrupted us,” Sirius retorted, pointing at where the lone figure had been. “And if you really need proof, check my wand!” Sirius said in a huff, turning his wand over in his hand and offering it to Barty.

“Fine!” Barty snapped, snatching the wand from Sirius. “The rest of you, check out the woods. See if anything he says lines up!” Barty shouted. A few of the wizards moved out. Harry recognized one as Amos Diggory, Cedric’s father. “Prior Incantato!” he said. The wand let loose a blue smoke but nothing else. He handed the wand back as Mr. Diggory appeared next to them.

“I found something, but um, it’s not human,” he muttered, stepping aside to reveal a stunned house-elf.

“But Sirius, we saw a human,” Remus commented in a hushed tone. Sirius nodded, frowning slightly as he held up his wand. A massive red dot appeared above the skull. Soon red fire appeared, allowing a massive phoenix to erupt in the sky. Harry blinked, looking back at his godfather.

“Nothing quite as fun as messing with the enemies flag, so to speak,” Sirius said, a satisfied smirk on his face. Barty glared at him. Not even a second later, Arthur rushed in as well, looking a bit dirty but all in one piece.

“Dad!” Ginny shouted, moving out from behind Harry to give her father a quick hug. “Glad you’re okay.”

“You didn’t tell them I was okay?” Mr. Weasley asked, looking at Sirius and Harry.

“Barty said something that worried her. Must have slipped my mind,” Sirius admitted lamely.

“Hey, that’s my wand!” Leo shouted, turning their attention back to the house-elf situation behind them.

“Your wand, so you cast the Dark Mark?” Mr. Diggory accused, glaring at Leo.

“Impossible, he was with us the whole time,” Remus said quickly, coming to his defense. “It went missing not even five minutes ago. It could have gotten lost in all the panic,” he commented. Leo gave him a curt nod, thankful for the defense.

“Once a teacher, always a teacher,” Sirius commented, looking up at the sky and admiring his handiwork.

“So, you found the wand and conjured the Dark Mark?” Mr. Diggory accused, looking at Winky, the house-elf.

“I is not doing magic, sir!” she squeaked.

“Can I have my wand back?” Leo demanded, not too thrilled to see his keepsake being waved around by some random stranger.

“One moment, boy. We have a few tests to do first,” Barty snapped, his face lined with wrinkles gained from years of life.

Leo huffed, crossing his arms as the adults continued to mutter and accuse the poor creature. Sirius stepped in, snatching the wand up.

“No, listen up. It was a full-sized human that cast the spell. Picking on this poor creature is pointless,” he said. Barty moved forwards, almost pressing his face into Sirius’s. “Shut up and get out of my way. That’s twice you’ve accused me with no evidence. Don’t make it a third,” he threatened in a low voice, shoving the man. He walked away, nodding for the rest to follow.

“Sorry about that,” Remus said, walking past Barty as the rest of the teens quickly moved past the group of wizards. Sirius shook his head as he trudged forward.

“Was that really necessary?” Arthur asked, looking at Sirius. Harry glanced back, feeling pity for the house-elf. He heard some wailing sound from the group of wizards.

“Did you see that? Not one second, one implication and they throw away evidence and start pointing fingers. Not one of them doesn’t think I’m not a Death Eater. I think my anger is just a tiny bit justified!” Sirius shouted. Harry flinched as Arthur quickly shut up, glancing back at the firebird in the sky.

“Sirius, it’s going to take time. Old fears are hard to get over,” Remus reminded. Sirius simply grunted.

“Thanks, Mr. Black. I didn’t think I was going to get my wand back,” Leo said. Sirius looked back at the Slytherin.

“No problem, kid,” he replied, a small smile on his face. Harry and the rest of the group remained silent as they returned to the tent.

“But I still don’t understand. Why was Mr. Crouch so worked up about that sign?” Harry asked almost as soon as the flap swung shut. Hermione glanced over at him, a little confused. Harry flinched back from the look she was giving him.

“Yeah, Dad. I have never seen so many people in such a massive panic,” Ron mentioned.

“Well, it’s his symbol,” Arthur said, seeming a bit shaken up as well.

“It’s the symbol Voldemort used during the war. If you saw it, it often meant someone was dead – sometimes whole families,” Sirius interrupted, seeing as Arthur clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Ron hissed at the mention of his name but Sirius failed to notice.

“I don’t understand the point of all this. Why attack Muggles?” Harry asked, confused.

“It’s their idea of fun,” Leo interjected, his expression dark. “It is the fun of bullies and other weak individuals,” he said, moving towards the door. “I am going to bed.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Remus admitted, watching Leo walk outside. “It wasn’t uncommon for the Death Eaters to randomly attack Muggles whenever they wanted to. Wouldn’t surprise me if the reason it happened tonight was because of a few too many shots of fire whiskey,” Remus mused.

“Such a pity. I was really hoping to see Lucius in the morning but I have a feeling he will be nursing a hangover by then,” Sirius replied, clapping his hands together.

“I think everyone should get to bed as well. Maybe head home in the morning; God knows this is going to be a lot of fun tomorrow,” Arthur replied.

Harry felt a yawn grow in his throat as he walked off, motioning for Ron to follow him. They had just walked out when Hermione actually raced after them. When she caught up, she looked at Harry and slapped him.

“What was that for?” he asked, stunned as he rubbed his face.

“Don’t ever go running off like that again. I was worried sick about you,” she replied, turning on her heel and walking back to the tent. Harry looked to Ron, who simply shrugged. Harry rubbed his face, his mind going back to his nightmare and the Dark Mark in the sky. He recalled the possibilities but with Sirius taking on the new teaching position, he felt a bit more at ease.

“Whatever he has planned, it won’t work anymore with Sirius around,” he told himself, not sure if he believed it or if it was just a simple comfort.


	7. Business Taken Care Of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Sirius enjoy the remaining part of summer vacation before they head off to King's Cross.
> 
> Does Sirius have a date? Stay tuned to find out!

The next morning, Sirius and Remus quickly put the tent away as the others simply stood, numb from last night’s events. The floating bodies, the Mark in the sky, everyone seemed to want to leave. Tents seemed to vanish inhumanly fast, even with the use of magic.

“I hate refolding these things,” Sirius grumbled to himself, stomping on the tent for good measure. Remus sighed, snatching the case up before he could do anymore damage. Sirius walked after him as they quickly made their way back to the portkey.

“I can’t believe they didn’t catch the man who sent that spell up,” Charlie muttered under his breath.

“I can’t believe that stupid elf,” Percy muttered as well to himself. Harry noticed Hermione give him a sharp glare over the comment but she kept her mouth shut. Harry put that in the back of his mind to ask about later.

“We will be heading to your house first. I am sure Molly will want to see all of us before we head home,” Sirius mentioned.

“Thanks, I really think she would appreciate it. Harry has always been like part of the family,” Arthur replied, smiling back at Harry. He looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed. He glanced back to see Ginny hiding in his shadow, jumping at nearly anything that looked big enough to hide a full-grown person.

Harry felt a stab of sympathy for the girl. She always seemed to be getting the blunt of the problems. Between the chamber, the boggart and now all this, he silently wondered how she was keeping herself together.

They grabbed ahold of an old boot and before they knew it, they were on the front lawn of the Burrow with a familiar mother rushing towards them.

“Oh, thank goodness, you’re alright! I read the headlines!” she shouted, grabbing her husband with a massive hug. “You big idiot! You could have gotten yourself killed!”

Arthur looked confused before she stuffed a copy of the Daily Prophet into his hands. “I made front page,” he said, looking at the crumpled paper in his hands.

“Arthur Weasley seemed to be the only competent man in the Ministry – responsible for single handedly apprehending three Death Eaters during the tragic events at the Quidditch World Cup,” Hermione read aloud.

“Congratulations, Mr. Hero,” Sirius smiled, clapping him on the back. Harry watched as each of the redheads got scooped up in a massive hug. Harry braced himself as he got hugged as well. Leo was given a small hug in comparison to the others, which Leo seemed relieved over. Ginny seemed to be trying to recapture her breath.

Harry moved towards her, rubbing her back as Ginny gave him a thankful smile. “Thanks,” she said in a quiet whisper, quickly vanishing from his side and back into the house.

“So, what’s with you and our sister, Harry?” George asked. Poor Harry found himself surrounded by the twins and Charlie.

“You have been getting pretty close to her,” Fred added.

“Not planning anything, are you?” asked Charlie, looking down at Harry. He opened his mouth to protest.

“No way. She has been under a lot of stress and I just want to make sure she is okay,” Harry replied, looking a bit confused.

“I don’t know,” Charlie said, glaring down at Harry. “I think he has got a heart out for our little sister.”

“I bet he thinks she owes him for all the times he came to her rescue,” George added, exchanging a knowing glance with the others.

“Nothing like that. Nothing like that at all. She’s my best friend’s sister, I would never,” Harry quickly blurted out, feeling more color on his face than he thought possible. “Sirius, help me out,” he asked, searching for any kind of backup.

“Sorry, Harry. You want to snog a cute girl, you got to deal with the family first,” Sirius replied with a smile, clearly amused.

“Huh?” Harry said. It looked like his face had turned into a tomato as he just stood there.

“I am so proud; you take more after your father than I gave you credit for.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Molly asked hotly, glaring at Sirius.

“Nothing at all,” he replied, quickly plastering a fake smile on his face.

“Something I don’t know about?” Arthur asked. Molly quickly turned red.

“Nothing at all, dear. Don’t you have someplace to be?” she asked, sending another glare at Sirius.

“Oh, right the thing,” Remus said, tripping over his words. “You know, the thing. With the Quidditch player.”

“Oh right,” Sirius said, eye lighting up. “We lost our two guests,” he realized.

“Wood!” Harry, Ron and Hermione all shouted at the same time.

“Arthur, get Harry home. We have a few people we need to check up on,” Sirius stated. Harry looked a bit downcast; he was being sent home instead of out for a change.

“They can stay here for now,” Molly said quickly while Remus nodded. “Dear, go with them. I’ll keep an eye on the kids.” Sirius looked at Harry with a slight frown on his face before his godson nodded.

“Let me know when you find something,” Harry said. Sirius gave a quick nod before the three vanished. The remaining group moved into house, heading for the living room. Molly looked up at the grandfather clock devise that kept track of the family members. She kept glancing at it as the hours passed.

“Look, I need to get home. Not that I don’t mind the company but I got a feeling my mum will want to see me as well,” Leo finally said.

“Right,” Molly replied, standing. “I am so sorry. Forgot all about getting you home. Your mother must be worried sick,” she said, moving to the fireplace.

“They don’t have a Floo connection,” Leo said, looking at the fireplace.

“Guess I will need to go home as well,” Harry said. Leo didn’t reply but Harry noticed that he shifted a bit as they moved into the fireplace. Harry fell onto the hard floor of Grimmauld Place before he quickly got up. Not a second later, Leo joined him, stepping out unharmed.

“Why am I always the one ruffed up by this darn thing?” he asked himself.

“Thanks for letting me join you,” Leo said, making his way to the front door.

“No problem. Sorry it went so sour towards the end,” Harry apologized.

“Harry, with your reputation, it wouldn’t be fair if something didn’t happen,” Leo chuckled. Harry frowned at the comment. “No offense.”

“No big deal,” he said, well aware of the reputations he had garnered from people like Malfoy who thought of him a sow off while others figured he was just a magnet for trouble.

Leo nodded and with a quick handshake, he was out the door and on his way. Harry looked around the big house; it felt odd without Sirius around. With a spark of inspiration, he called for Hedwig, wanting to send a message to his godfather now that he was home.

The snowy owl flew down, landing on his outstretched arm, biting playfully at his hair. Harry chuckled, trying to push her beak away and keep his hair on his head.

“Bloody bird,” Kreacher muttered. Harry’s heart almost skipped a beat. “Noisy thing wouldn’t stop cawing,” he groaned.

“Sorry, she just wanted out for a bit to stretch her wings,” Harry explained. The house-elf didn’t seem convinced as he grabbed a stool to deal with the portrait of Mrs. Black. Harry winced, moving up the stairs to get a quill and paper. When he got to his room, he grabbed what he needed and sat down at an old wooden desk.

“A sandwich, Master Potter?” Kreacher offered, appearing with a small pop next to him. Harry looked at the sandwich.

“Thanks, but I didn’t ask for it.”

“Master Black asked if you ever made it home before him to offer you something to eat,” Kreacher replied, glaring at Harry with massive tennis ball-like eyes.

“Um, thanks,” Harry said, gingerly taking the ham sandwich. “I appreciate it, Kreacher,” he said, taking a bite of the food. He could have sworn he saw the faintest smirk on the elf’s face. Taking it as a figment of his imagination, he went back to finishing his note. Hedwig held out her leg for him to tie to the note. She hopped onto his arm as he flung open the window and she leaped into the sky.

Harry took a deep breath; it felt weird. The house was cleaned up, new carpet and it felt a bit brighter. Walking onto to the landing, he could still smell some of the fresh paint Sirius had put up – a dark crimson. Sirius was pretty quick to start using Gryffindor colors – something that caused a few of the portraits no end of grief. Walking down the stairs, he could still see the tools Sirius had used to try and chisel his mother’s portrait off the wall. Sirius had settled for a Silencing spell but the damage he had done to the wall was still visible.

Harry sighed, settling in the sitting room to wait. He picked up one of his school books, having nothing better to do.

Harry blinked, sitting up. He looked down to see his book resting on his chest, realizing that night had fallen. He was about to close his eyes once more when the door opened. Harry slowly stood up at Sirius moved into the light in the hallway.

“So, did you find Wood and your girlfriend?” Harry asked, not missing a chance to do some teasing of his own. Sirius gave him a smile.

“Both fine, and I have a date as well,” he smiled, holding up a small piece of parchment. “I am surprised you are up this late.”

“I fell asleep on the couch.”

“I see. Well, nothing like a school book to put you out in my opinion,” Sirius said, noticing the book in Harry’s hand.

“Well, I had nothing better to do,” he shrugged, setting the book on an end table.

“Huh, perhaps a pool table or something. I don’t know, maybe a TV. Anything to liven this place up, feels like something out of the 1800’s.”

“You would get a TV?” Harry asked. Sirius gave a wry grin.

“Hey, anything to spite the family. Besides, I got no issues with Muggle contraptions. Better than sitting around reading school books all summer long. Better yet, get a girlfriend or something. Plenty of rooms to hide in, if you know what I mean,” Sirius joked. Harry flashed red as his godfather laughed. “Well, off to bed. We got a platform to get to soon enough.”

“Will you be taking the train?” Harry asked.

“Nah, I got to get there early. Haven’t been able to look at my office – got to get things organized for the first day of class,” Sirius said, moving upstairs with Harry following him. They passed Kreacher on the way up as Sirius glared at him. “And make sure when we are gone, not to let the dust settle. Keep it clean,” Sirius ordered.

“Yes, Master. Anything to serve the Noble House of Black,” the house-elf replied, returning the glare.

“Do you really have to be so mean to him?” Harry asked.

“Yes,” Sirius returned bluntly. Harry shook his head.

“Well, see you in the morning. If not, at school,” Harry said, entering his new room. Sirius gave him a wave as he walked further down the hall to his own bedroom to get some sleep as well.


	8. The Snakes and The Raven

The following morning came far too early for Harry. He woke to the bright sunshine falling across his bed and sluggishly made his way downstairs for breakfast. He felt as if he had hardly gotten any sleep the night previous but that could be because he had stayed up most of the night waiting for Sirius.

Sirius, on the other hand, was bright-eyed and bushytailed as he finished making breakfast.

“Ah, look who finally decided to get up!” he exclaimed, preparing a plate for his godson. “I figured that if you had gotten up within the next few minutes, I would come and wake you up. Don’t need you missing the train, now do we?” he said, sitting down with his own plate of food. Harry, knowing that Sirius would disapprove of his not eating, immediately dug into his breakfast. Not to mention, after the scare yesterday at the Quidditch World Cup, it felt like he hadn’t eaten in years, he was so hungry.

“Are you going to be taking me King’s Cross?” Harry asked between mouthfuls of food.

“Most likely and I’ll probably be there until the train departs before heading off to Hogwarts myself,” Sirius replied, eating his food a bit more slowly. “I thought of something,” Sirius said, putting down his fork and looking at Harry. “How have you managed to get to King’s Cross while you were living with those Muggles?”

“Well, I was either with Hagrid or the Weasleys,” Harry replied, wondering on the question. “Why?” Harry asked simply.

“Nothing, merely curious. I’ve met your aunt and uncle, remember? They didn’t exactly come across as the kind of people who would have willingly taken you to King’s Cross when you needed to be there,” Sirius said, shrugging as he resumed his breakfast. “Anyways, nothing to worry about.” He glanced at the clock. “Blimey, Harry. We have to get moving soon. Can’t believe the summer’s over already. Can you?”

“Nah,” Harry responded, polishing off his food. “It went by rather fast because I was always busy, I think.” There was a general air of silence around them for the next hour or so until it was time for them to head for King’s Cross.

“Got everything together, Harry?” Sirius asked, standing in the doorway and holding Hedwig’s cage.

“I think so. I don’t think I really took much of anything out of my trunk, to be honest,” he replied, looking over his trunk one last time.

“Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you do manage to forget something, we’ll get it taken care of. We should probably get going so you don’t miss the train,” Sirius said, handing Hedwig’s cage to Harry and taking the trunk instead.

Much to Harry’s relief, they made it to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters with plenty of time to spare.

“Oi, Harry! Over here!” a voice called. Harry turned and saw a head of vivid red hair poking of an open train window. He waved enthusiastically at Ron and turned back to Sirius.

“I take it that’s the compartment you want?” he asked automatically, heading towards Ron with Harry trailing behind. Together, they managed to load the trunk in and get it situated in an overhead rack.

“Hey, Ron,” Harry greeted, smiling at his friend. “Have you seen Hermione or Leo?”

“No, haven’t seen either. Saw Malfoy though, slimy git that he is,” Ron grimaced. “He was with his dad, too.” Sirius swore under his breath, snapping his fingers in a near miss.

“Well, so much for that train of thought,” Sirius said, waving it off. “Dad still here, Ron?” Ron nodded. Sirius stepped out of the compartment, making his way towards Arthur and Molly. Harry glanced outside, watching the conversation but unable to hear it. He was unable to ponder on it much, however, when Hermione bounded onto the train practically beaming.

“What’re you so happy for?” Ron asked, looking at her curiously.

“Honestly, Ron. You should know me. School’s starting,” she smiled, setting down her trunk and Crookshanks in his basket before bounding off once more to bid her parents goodbye. From somewhere near the front of the train, a whistle blew, signaling that departure would be occurring shortly. Harry glanced out the window and saw Sirius waving him out.

“Yeah?” he asked, standing before his godfather.

“The train’s going to be leaving very soon. Figured I would bid goodbye for the day and see you at the feast. Sound fair?” Sirius said. Harry nodded. “Then I will see you tonight. Behave on the train,” Sirius said strictly but winked at Harry all the same. He brought his godson into a quick hug before ushering him onto the train. The whistle blew once more and everyone leaned out of the window to bid their parents farewell for the year.

“You’ll help us by watching over them, then?” Arthur asked, standing beside Sirius. “They say this tournament is the most dangerous thing ever.”

“They’ll be fine,” Sirius assured before apparating to Hogsmeade.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all took a seat in their compartment, rehashing the Cup and talking about the summer before the Cup, something none of them had a chance to talk about the last time they met.

After two hours or so, Harry stood and made his way to the door of the compartment.

“Where are you heading, Harry?” Hermione said, setting down her copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4.

“I’m going to try and find Leo. He seemed a bit off when he left the Burrow and Grimmauld Place,” Harry explained, stepping into the corridor. Hermione nodded, returning to her book while Ron shrugged and looked out the window at the heavily falling rain. Harry made his way through the train, looking into every compartment he passed. He came upon one where there a bit of commotion inside.

“What’s she to you, Holmes? Your new girlfriend?” a sneering voice said. Harry looked inside to see Malfoy picking on Leo who was standing in front of a girl with long blonde hair. “Whatever happened to Granger?”

“Neither of them are my girlfriend,” Leo shot back. “But they are my friends and you can leave them alone.”

“Some Slytherin you are,” Malfoy said, curling his lip slightly. “I don’t know what kind of friend she could possibly be. But then again, when all you want to do is talk about yourself, she’s be the perfect mate, wouldn’t she?” Malfoy jeered, a small smile playing across his face.

“Shove off, Malfoy,” Leo said, grabbing the girl’s arm and walking away. Malfoy wasn’t quite through yet. Even as they walked away, he still tried to throw insults at them.

“He doesn’t bother me, Leo,” the girl said in a dreamy far-away kind of voice. “Oh, hello,” she said, noticing Harry still standing in the corridor.

“H-hello,” Harry replied, stammering slightly.

“Hey, Harry,” Leo greeted in a grumpy voice. “Malfoy’s such a git, you know?”

“You should know better than anyone that’s how he is, though,” Harry said, shrugging his shoulders as they walked down the corridor. In the small silence that followed, the girl cleared her throat. It was clearly an invitation for Leo to introduce her.

“Right. Harry, this is Luna Lovegood. Luna, Harry Potter. She’s a Ravenclaw,” he said, motioning with his hand to each of them.

“Hello, Luna,” Harry said, giving a small wave before turning his attention back to Leo. “Did you want to try and escape Malfoy for a bit by hanging with Ron and Hermione?” he asked, adding quickly, “Luna can join us as well, if she wants.” They were now standing at the door of the compartment Harry had left earlier.

“Hello, Leo,” Hermione said, waving through the open door. He returned the wave and glanced at Luna to see what she wanted to do. “Who’s with you boys?” she asked, peering around them to see Luna.

“Oh, this is Luna Lovegood. She’s one of Leo’s friends and I ran into him defending her from Malfoy,” Harry explained quickly. Luna glanced between the four of them before speaking.

“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t want to intrude,” Luna said with a smile, ready to leave.

“Nonsense, an enemy of Malfoy is always welcomed here,” Ron said with a smile a little too big on his face. Hermione glanced over at her friend, narrowing her eyes a bit.

“Um, okay,” she said cheerfully, sitting down and pulling out a magazine called The Quibbler.

“So, Harry, since your godfather is going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, you think he could cut us some slack in the homework department?” Ron asked, rather hopeful.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Harry said with a slight smile, scratching the back of his head. “But thanks to Lupin using me as a guinea pig, I know pretty much everything we will be covering.”

“Lucky dog,” Leo grumbled, folding his arms as he looked at the door of their compartment.

“I can’t believe Lupin would let Harry know everything,” Hermione scoffed.

“I doubt he did, but still. That’s going to be a lot of help if he doesn’t change his plans too much,” Ron grinned, seeing an opportunity.

“Boys,” Hermione mumbled, shaking her head. “Luna, may I ask what a Riptortis is?” she asked, looking the Quibbler headlines claiming that one had been spotted in Italy.

“Oh, it’s a very small bug that sounds like a lion when it cries out,” she answered. Hermione frowned, having heard of no such creature.

“Well, in a world full of magic, it wouldn’t take much to create such a creature,” Leo said, shrugging as he noticed Hermione’s expression. She glanced over at him.

“Creating life is hardly something to scoff at,” she snapped. Leo shrugged, not too bothered.

“Who said anything about breaking one of the first Wizarding Laws?” Leo asked. “It’s so much easier to take something that already is and change it,” he said, smiling as he spotted a housefly on the window. He raised his wand, pointing it at the fly with a small flick. At first, nothing happened. Everyone flinched when the bug suddenly gained the voice of a massive cat and used it.

“See, a simple transformation and we have our headline,” Leo said with a smirk. “You’ve got to be a bit more creative than that, Granger,” he said, a smug smile on his face.

“But it’s still a fly,” Hermione reminded, frowning.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t sound like one, does it? If you turn a rat into a cup, is it a rat or a cup?” Leo asked, smirking as he clearly enjoyed the argument.

“It’s a rat because that is what it was to begin with,” Hermione said in an even tone.

“How do you know it wasn’t turned from a cup first?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s not the point,” Hermione sputtered out.

“What if magic made a fly sound like a fly so magic wouldn’t be discovered by Muggles?” Leo asked. “What something is in the present has little to no effect as to what it is or what it will become. Especially when on wields a wand,” he said, raising his wand and turning the fly into a feather.

“When – how?” Hermione started, glaring at him as she leaned back into her seat.

“Did you know butterbeer is really good for a sore throat?” Luna piped in. Everyone glanced at her, unsure of how to react to the statement.

“Leo, I think you’re in big trouble, mate,” Ron whispered at the Slytherin.

“Well, I have no issues. I like this kind of trouble,” Leo replied with a grin. The few remaining hours on the Hogwarts Express passed with relative ease. Despite the disagreement between the Hermione and Leo, conversation remained fairly light. By the time the train began to slow, the entire group perked up, looking out the window and surprised that it was already dark out.

“Best get ready then,” Leo said, standing to his feet and heading back to the compartment where his robes where still packed away. As they did every year, the trio made their way onto the platform to greet Hagrid before they ran for the carriages that would take them to the castle.

“Does anyone else feel a storm coming tonight?” Hermione asked, shutting the door of the carriage behind her. Harry and Ron shrugged, shaking their heads. Hermione glanced out the window and looked at the black sky above them. It almost looked like rain was going to start.

______________________________________

Sirius landed in the middle of Hogsmeade with a bit of a running start. He took a deep breath. The area was just as he remembered. “It’s a nice day, not needing to turn into a dog to get around anymore,” he said with a slight smile as he pulled out a pocket watch. “Remus, where are you?” he asked, frowning slightly as he put the watch away.

A door suddenly slammed open across the street. Sirius looked over to see a thin figure stepping out. He gave a slight smirk. “Well, you’re the last person I expected to run into. I was waiting for a friend but he may have to wait a bit,” Sirius said, reaching into his coat.


	9. Announcements to Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The general start of term annoucements

“Ron! I heard about your dad in the Daily Prophet! That’s so cool, your dad’s a hero!” Colin shouted, a happy grin on his face as he approached. Ron smiled broadly, very proud of that fact while Hermione glanced over at Harry.

“You’re taking this very well. You and Sirius helped,” she whispered. Harry shrugged, giving her a calm smile.

“In all honesty, Hermione, I have no need for fame. I got more than enough and I am happy for him. He gets the spotlight for a change,” he said, truly happy for his friend. They headed up to the stairs when a sudden scream drew their attention upward.

“Peeves!” a few soaking wet students cried.

“Haha,” Leo laughed at the poltergeist before a balloon flew straight at him. But it got intercepted.

“Hermione!” Leo and Harry cried together. The poor girl’s bushy hair was now dripping with water. “I’m sorry, Hermione. I shouldn’t have – Oh, I got just the spell,” Leo said, hoping to remedy the situation. He pulled out his wand, but she simply raised her hand.

“Thanks, but no, thanks,” she said as she pulled out her own wand. “Unda absum.” In an instant, her hair was perfectly dry while a giant raindrop splashed onto the stairs.

“Peeves, don’t make me call the headmaster!” Professor McGonagall threatened. The poltergeist tossed another balloon into the crowd before racing off in maniacal laughter.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” asked Leo, a little nervous as Hermione kept moving up the stairs. When she remained silent, he turned to Harry. “Is she mad?” he asked but Harry only shrugged. “She’s your best friend, how could you not tell when she is ticked?”

“Well, she may be my best friend, but I am not very good at reading women,” Harry admitted. Leo shook his in agreement. “Out of curiosity, do you really, you know, like her? I mean, like go out on a date and snog?” Harry asked. Leo blinked before his face began to brighten a bit.

“Well, um, she is, um, yeah. Yes,” he finally said, nodding confidently. Leo looked inhumanly nervous as the other students walked around the pair.

“Hey guys, thanks for waiting. We really should get going. I hope they don’t take too long sorting the new students, I’m starving,” Ron said happily. Harry glanced back at Leo, who was already trying to make an escape.

“This conversation is not over,” Harry replied in an even voice. “She is my best friend. I have faced down giant snakes and Voldemort himself. You hurt her and you will find out why I am still in one piece,” Harry said, glaring at the Slytherin.

“Yeah, sure, no problem,” Leo said as he quickly vanished into the crowd. Ron watched him go before looking at Harry.

“What was that all about?” Ron asked while Harry slapped him on the back.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Harry said. “Let’s go, son of the hero. I’m hungry.” He beamed as the two made their way to the great hall.

Harry looked up at the floating candles. The hall seemed a bit smaller than last year, he noted as he walked over to the Gryffindor table. It had been a while since he had watched a sorting; something had always prevented him from getting to the hall in time. He relaxed at the table, watching the new students get sorted into their respective houses. When he glanced up at the staff table, he noticed one of the chairs was empty.

“Harry, where is Sirius?” Hermione whispered from across the table.

“Sirius?” Neville asked, looking around nervously. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?” he all but shouted.

“Don’t worry about it, Neville. He’s a good man, just a little odd. I spent the summer with him and he is no Snape,” Harry said, hoping to reassure his fellow Gryffindor.

“If you say so,” he groaned, not seeming reassured but a bit calmer.

The last student was finally sorted into Hufflepuff and a few of the teachers glanced to the empty seat. Harry could almost make out the snide smirk on Professor Snape’s face.

“Peeves!” a voice shouted from the back of the hall as the doors flung open. Everyone, student and teacher alike, looked to see Sirius Black, drenched from head to toe and looking like he had gotten dressed in a rush. Part of his collar was popped up, his clothing was undone and hardly buttoned properly. He brushed a bit of water off his face and adjusted his collar.

Harry blinked, unsure of what he was seeing, as Sirius walked down the hall, clearly doing his best to keep a straight face.

“And allow me to introduce this year’s Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Sirius Black!” Dumbledore announced. Sirius nodded at Harry as he passed by. Harry watched him pass by before noticing that Snape was doing the oddest thing.

“Is Snape smiling?” Ron asked, looking over at Harry with the most concerned expression he had ever seen on his friends face. And sure as the sun, the hardened and stuffy potions master was doing his best to cover up a smile, even if it seemed to be a very small one.

There was a curt round of applause as Sirius took his seat next to Hagrid. Sirius about fell into the table when Hagrid gave him a pat on the back. Snape looked even scarier than he normally did.

“Oh, no. Snape is smiling,” Neville pointed out, going as pale as a sheet.

“Ahem,” Dumbledore cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “I only have two words for you: tuck in,” he said and the food magically appeared onto the table.

“Here, here,” Ron and Harry chimed as they both filled their plates. Hermione picked at her food, seeming to be lost in thought.

“Something bothering you, Hermione?” Harry asked, noticing that her food wasn’t leaving her plate.

“Just thinking about that house elf, it seems cruel,” she noted.

“Don’t jump into it, Hermione. If you want, I can have Dobby talk with you. He could tell you all about the house elf stuff,” Harry offered.

“Master Harry rang?” Dobby said, appearing next to Harry.

“Oh, hi Dobby,” Harry said, glancing over at the house elf before going back to his food.

“A house elf!” Fred and George exclaimed, echoing nearly everyone around them. Harry glanced back at the elf, standing under a tower of hats and socks.

“Harry, you didn’t,” Hermione said, frowning at him with a very disapproving expression on her face.

“No, he works here, Hermione. Gets paid and everything,” Harry quickly explained.

“Yes, Dobby is very happy. I even got some new socks,” the elf piped in, jumping up and down. Hermione just stared at him. “Dumbledore offers it all house elves but Dobby is the first to accept it,” he beamed, squeaking a bit. In an instant, Hermione’s face turned sour.

“You two,” she said, pointing at both Harry and Dobby. “You’re up to something and I’m going to find out what. But for now, I am going to be doing some research.” Harry nodded at Dumbledore who was now standing up. “Oh, right. Announcements,” she remembered. Harry stifled a laugh, glancing at one of his earliest friends.

“What’s the matter, can’t wait to get back to the library?” Harry asked, laughing a bit as the poor girl started to turn red, having pegged her so easily.

“Also, on another note, there will be no Quidditch cup this year,” Dumbledore announced. Harry’s jaw dropped but nothing came out.

“What!” the twins and Ron shouted, their voices echoing around the hall with the many other outraged students. Harry looked like someone had brought him a dog and then proceeded to kick it in front of him.

“Peace, there is a reason. For this year, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament!” Dumbledore said.

“Yay,” Harry said in an unenthusiastic tone. Hermione glanced over at him as he rested his face on his hand.

“Harry, what’s wrong?”

“I was so looking forward to playing some Quidditch and now I will have next to nothing to really work at this year,” Harry said, frowning as Dumbledore went on to explain the age limit. More groans could be heard but Harry didn’t care as he wasn’t interested in the tournament to begin with.

“You could always spend more time on your homework,” Hermione offered, giving a weak smile. Harry shrugged.

“I guess,” he replied. “Maybe they will still let me fly around on m broom if I ask nicely,” he mused. A hand suddenly grabbed onto his shoulder and he turned to see Leo standing behind him.

“Hey Harry, since you look a little sad about Quidditch being canceled,” Leo said with a Cheshire cat smile.

“What are you up to, Slytherin?” Ron said, glaring at him with a lot of suspicion.

“Well, since we can’t beat each other up on the court, how about a dueling table?” Leo said with a sly smile.

Harry stared at Leo for a second before a massive grin appeared on his face. “I get what you are saying,” he said as Hermione adopted a horrified look on her face.

“Barbarians, the both of you! I cannot believe you two are going to try and get that club open just so you can beat each other with sticks,” she said, glaring at the two of them.

“So with your godfather as the new DADA teacher, do you want to give him a little visit after dinner?” Leo asked, smirking when nearly every male at the table had all but forgotten the age limit.

“So let me get this straight: you want me to supervise a dueling club so you can all beat each other over the head with sticks?” Sirius asked with a slight frown on his face.

“Finally, someone who sees the stupidity of it,” Hermione said with a confident smile on her face as she folded her hands over her chest.

“She wasn’t putting up this much of a protest when Lockhart was opening it,” Ron whispered to Harry. But she caught the whisper and glared at the ginger.

“Sounds good to me,” Sirius said with a smile while Leo fist pumped his victory.

“What? I am surrounded by idiots!” Hermione all but shouted as she slapped her forehead.

“You know you love it,” Leo said with a grin that showed off a few too many teeth. Hermione glared hotly at him.

“You’re next; you and that little idea in the pea brain of yours,” she said, glaring at him as she stormed down the hall to get away from the boys.

“She is so hot when she gets angry,” Leo said as he watched the witch storm off.

“Well then, I’ll have to run this by Dumbledore, but all things considered, I shouldn’t have too much trouble getting the club up and running,” Sirius said.

“Do you think we can have a tournament or something at the end of the year?” Ron asked, his eyes going dreamy at the idea of a trophy.

“I think we can work something out,” Sirius grinned, amused at the expression.

“You know, Harry, I would have thought you would be a little less excited about all this,” Leo noted, glancing over at Harry. Harry glanced over at him, a little confused. “Well, with you being so well known for your skill. I mean, the troll in first year and all the other crazy things you have fought, I would imagine you would be a prime target for anyone who wants to brag about beating the boy who lived. I mean, I know I am looking forward to taking you down a peg or two,” Leo said with a devilish smirk on his face.

Harry looked like he had swallowed something bitter. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Harry said, gulping a bit.

“Too late for that,” Sirius said as he walked down the hall. George and Fred both patted Harry on the back.

“Good luck, Harry. Hope you survive,” George said with a smile.

“’Cause I got a feeling you got a big bull’s-eye painted on the back of your robes,” Fred continued as they both walked away from Harry.

“No trouble mate, I will be more than happy to help practice spells with you,” Ron offered and Harry nodded.

“Well, this is going to be an interesting year,” Harry said, starting to agree with Hermione. “I really do need to start listening to her more often.”

Harry made his way to the shifting staircases as he caught up with Fred, George and Ron. “So, did anyone actually listen to the announcement on the tri-wizard tournament?” Ron asked while the twins smiled at their little brother.

“Nothing too major. Two new schools and an impartial judge,” George said.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Fred finished, the two smiling a bit. Harry could almost see the wheels turning in their heads.

________

Dumbledore sighed as he sat down at his desk, unwrapping a lemon drop before popping it into his mouth. The gargoyle at the door started to shift, signaling that he had a guest. He glanced up to see Sirius striding into the room with a smile on his face.

“Good to see you high and dry,” Dumbledore greeted. “Lemon drop?” he offered, pushing the small bowl forward.

“Yeah, sorry about being late. I ran into some complications on my way to the castle,” Sirius said in an even tone. “That and Peeves decided to use me as target practice,” he said with a shrug.

“No, I believe you. But did you have a reason for your visit?” Dumbledore asked.

“Yeah, an idea since you more or less canceled Quidditch. I was thinking of bringing back the Dueling Club. And maybe a tournament at the end of the year,” Sirius said, pitching the idea.

“Well, I was a bit bummed that I had to cancel the wizarding world’s favorite pastime. Alright, but on one condition: you have to have the other staff members involved,” Dumbledore said with a smile.

“Sure, Professor Flitwick would be a great addition. I could have someone with his expertise, maybe McGonagall, they have a lot of knowledge and would be more than happy to get involved.

“I was thinking more along the lines of Professor Snape,” the headmaster said with a slight twinkle in his eye.

“You really think that’s such a good idea?” Sirius asked, frowning a bit.

“He is a house head, not to mention he was involved in the last dueling club as well,” he observed.

“You are the headmaster, but I don’t think this is such a good idea,” Sirius said. But from the look on Dumbledore’s face, he knew there was no winning. “Fine, only if I can include Remus, since he will be helping with my classes,” he said, suddenly pointing his finger at the old wizard.

“Deal,” Dumbledore said and they both shook hands. Sirius allowed himself a victory fist pump; he was going to enjoy his newfound time with Severus.


	10. Rumors

The dueling club room was just like Harry had remembered it; only not nearly as crowded since the heartthrob formerly known as Professor Lockhart was no longer involved. Not surprisingly, a lot of the male population had arrived, with only a few women. Harry recognized a few as Quidditch players. The familiar sound of feet on the table drew in the clamoring student body as Sirius cleared his throat.

“I would like to welcome you all. ‘Would’ being the key word since a lot of you will probably be leaving with a few more bruises than when you came in to the reopened Dueling Club,” he said, smiling. Not too far away were Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape, and surprisingly Sprout. Harry blinked; all four house heads were here. McGonagall hemmed at Sirius. “Not too many, if any at all,” he quickly corrected, causing a few students to giggle.

“Now then, I see a few first and second years here. So how about a few demonstrations to get the blood flowing before we get into the boring stuff?” Sirius asked. “My associate and teacher’s aid, Mr. Lupin, has so kindly agreed to volunteer.”

“I have?” Lupin asked as the crowd turned to see the former teacher standing in the doorway. A few students gasped when they saw him, confusion flitting across their faces.

“I think not, since he is not on staff. It would be reckless to put him in harm’s way. I think it would be much more suitable if Snape helped out, seeing as he was involved in the last club,” McGonagall said with a small smirk.

“Sure,” Sirius said a little too brightly. Snape didn’t move for a second but he made his way to the table, the student body quickly parting to let him in.

“I don’t think this is such a good idea,” Lupin said in a low voice.

“Nonsense. If Snivellus wants me to mop the floor with his greasy hair, I got no issues,” Sirius said, a confident smile gracing his lips. The students went dead silent, the footsteps echoing around the room as the two teachers squared off.

“Does your godfather have a death wish?” Neville asked, looking as pale as a sheet. Harry glanced over to see Professor McGonagall biting her lip, clearly regretting her decision.

“If Snape wasn’t trouble before,” Harry said, trailing off as he regretted ever mentioning the Dueling Club.

“Now then,” Sirius said, narrating as the two went through the steps and they both turned. Spells started flying and they seemed to start an all-out war. A few of the students began to back away from the table. Scorch marks lined the walls as neither seemed able to land a hit on the other.

Harry watched as a wave of water as wide as the table suddenly appeared behind Sirius. The class gasped as Sirius flicked his wand and the bits of wood from the table moved to form a make shift shelter as the water passed over him. As the wood fell back into place, a lion’s head appeared in the water, suddenly charging at the Slytherin head. But the water dissipated, not even wetting the tops of his shoes.

“It’s amazing,” a voice murmured. Harry felt his eyes go wide as he glanced over at the speaker.

“Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?” Harry asked, glancing over his friend.

“The way they are moving. If you watch them, you can tell the differences in their style of dueling. Yet neither one is superior; I honestly figured it would be about points and stature, but it seems that you really need to know your spells and how to move.”

“Of course, just like with all sports, it takes quick thinking, strategy and good hand-eye coordination. But I can’t help but hope that Sirius puts Snape on his arse,” Ron said with a wicked smile.

The room was put into dead silence as the two teachers moved around each spell. Snape moving in relative grace, keeping his motions fluid, while Sirius had no issues moving back and forth, having a more jerkish spell casting style.

Time seemed to slow as Harry watched each spell they cast. “Wow, I really don’t have the skill. If people like this is the norm, I need to start practicing as well.”

“I am going to call this match a draw!” announced Professor Flitwick. The two teachers stopped moving but neither lowered their wands. The tension in the room was almost suffocating as the two men glared at each other. “As much as I am sure the students would like to watch, the point of the Dueling Club is to teach betterment,” the short professor reminded.

“Right, now then. I think some new blood. Cedric Diggory, would you be so kind? And Cho, would you be so kind as to come up here? Since we have so many students and a bit more teachers than expected.” Sirius clapped his hands together. “Why don’t McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape each head over to one of the tables and start some disarming spell training. Outside of that, just be patient. Also, we are looking for top duelers since we won’t be able to have a Quidditch tournament, well,” he smiled. “We are going to be having a Dueling Tournament instead! So anyone interested, let us know and practice hard,” he announced.

“I’ll be taking first and second years over at this table. As well as anyone who needs a refresher course or has little experience at dueling!” McGonagall shouted over the growing din.

Not too surprisingly, most of the students branched off with their respected house heads and a bit spilt off, moving towards Sirius. “Looks like I get the older students. Good, well since most of you should know the basics, we are going to have a few mock duels and see where things go from there. Can I have a volunteer?” Harry scooted back a bit.

“I’ll do it!” Leo’s voice shouted, raising his hand as everyone glanced back at him while he pushed his way to the table.

“All right, who is next” Sirius asked and Ron instantly raised his hand. “All right students, we got ourselves a house grudge match. Slytherin in one corner, Gryffindor in the other. You know the drill, boys,” he said, dropping off the table to keep an eye on both sides.

The mob around the table grew bigger and even a few teachers glanced over. Ron had a smirk on his face as he and Leo bowed to each other before walking to opposite ends of the table.

“Langlock tongue!” Ron shouted, taking the first move as Leo raised his wand.

“Protego!” Leo countered, unaffected by the spell. Ron frowned as he raised his wand again.

“Petrificus totalus!” Ron shouted again but Leo remained unaffected with his shield still high. The green clad students started to cheer. “Stupefy!” Ron shouted as he repeated the attack and a few red streams blasted as Leo, who was now grinning like a loon.

“Expelliarmus!” Leo shouted and Ron’s wand flew across the table before he snatched it from the air. Ron glared at him as Leo dangled the wand out in front of him. His fellow Slytherins cheered as he took a bow and held out Ron’s wand. Ron walked across the table to retrieve it.

“Who is next to face the great snake of Slytherin?” Leo asked, spinning around on the table.

“Harry, please. He’s practically rubbing it in our faces,” Ron said, glancing over at him and hoping that his friend would join the fight.

“Harry,” Hermione chided, showing her dislike of the game they were playing.

“I’ll take that challenge,” Harry said, giving a light smile. “Merlin’s beard, what have I gotten myself into?” he mumbled to himself, mentally screaming.

“Glad to see your godfather has been a good influence,” Hermione muttered.

“What’s the matter, Harry? You seem nervous; you took on Death Eaters and the Dark Lord three times. What do you have to worry about?” Leo asked, chuckling as Harry gave him a very forced smile. The two bowed.

“It feels weird doing this for sport. It’s always been life or death for me,” Harry explained as he stood upright.

“Just relax and try to have a little fun before I stomp you into the ground, Potter,” Leo said with a confident smirk.

“Great, another Malfoy,” Harry shot back, even though he felt himself enjoying it. They kept their distance.

“Stupefy!” Harry shouted as the red beam raced along the table. Leo sidestepped the magical attack, repeating Harry’s words. The two streams shot back and forth.

“Protego!” Leo replied, stopping the red beam cold.

“Stupefy!” Harry shouted with enough force to break the shield charm and sending Leo onto the table. He was clearly surprised at the power behind the spell. The Gryffindors roared in approval and Harry felt a bit of swelling in his chest.

“Expelliarmus!” Leo shouted, ripping Harry’s wand from his hand. It fell to the table floor causing Harry to dive for it. “Accio!” Leo cried out. Harry’s wand flew across the table and into Leo’s awaiting hand. Harry frowned as he looked at Leo. Putting his wand away, he tossed Harry his and adjusted his tie with a smug look on his face.

“Jerk,” Ron frowned as, once again, Slytherin house cheered.

Leo held out his hand and Harry took it. “In a real fight, don’t stop until the wand is destroyed or in your hand. That was very dangerous, letting me recover from the stunning spell. If the Quidditch Cup is anything to go by, you need to be more mindful,” Leo said with a death glare. “I have heard some nasty rumors in the house as of late. I think you may want to hear about them,” he added. Harry nodded dumbly as Leo released his grip, throwing his hands in the air. “Oh, yeah! Who’s next on the chopping block? Hey, Hermione, how about a kiss to the winner?” he asked, winking at her.

“Excuse me?” Hermione cried. “You don’t get to beat my friends up and then flirt with me!” she declared in a hot tone. She got up on the table and pointed a finger at him. “You don’t get to throw my friends around and expect any affection from me. Let alone anything outside of my fist touching you, not even my lips!” she said hotly, quickly getting the attention of everyone in the room. She drew her own wand, now fully invested.

“Going to let a girl fight your battles for you?” Malfoy jeered. Harry ignored the comment, noticing that Leo didn’t seem quite so confident anymore.

The two bowed as everyone watched them walk the length of the table and turn to face each other. The stunning spell was announced as Hermione and Leo shot the spell back at each other. Hermione flicked her wand; in an instant, all three stunners were deflected.

“Agumenti!” she cried as water spilled over the table. “Perfrigefacio!” she added, pointing her wand at the table. It quickly froze over as Leo sent another Stunning spell her way, only for her to quickly deflect them. Then, raining down Stunning spells, she quickly pinned Leo to his spot, forgetting that the ice had completely frozen the table over. “Petrificus totalus!” she announced.

“Protego!” Leo called, his shield stopping her spell. He took a step back only to slip and fall on his back. His wand fell from his hand for a second before racing to Hermione, a coy smile on her face.

“Yep, should have seen that one coming,” Leo said, deciding to just lay there on his back. Ron cheered as he shook Harry in celebration. Sirius smirked a bit, dispelled the water as Leo picked himself up off the table. He walked over to Hermione as she handed him his wand.

She dropped off the table, clearly no longer interested in the Dueling Club. Leo got down as well, wincing a bit as he hit the ground.

“Looks like you may need to take a trip to the hospital wing. Could someone escort him?” Sirius asked. Harry raised his hand, eager to hear what Leo had to say.

Harry kept a close pace to Leo as he glanced back to see Snape staring at him. He shook his head as he walked out of the room. Leo instantly perked up, looking perfectly fine.

“Well, that was enlightening.”

“You were faking it?” Harry asked with a frown.

“Slytherin,” Leo reminded with a sideways glance. “I figured you would volunteer. Look, I need to let you know that something big is happening. I have heard some mumbling, most students think it’s just rumors. But with the recent attack, I got the feeling that something big is going to happen this year.”

“Yeah, well, it wouldn’t be me if something wasn’t happening here at Hogwarts,” Harry reminded.

“I know, but I think you should keep an ear to the ground. You can’t take everything at face value and if I were you, practice some combat spells,” Leo advised.

“Do you know something?” Harry asked.

“No, nothing solid enough to put with a name or face. If I did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Right, so rumors, huh?” Harry confirmed, glancing over at him.

“It’s not much of a secret that Voldemort has strong ties with the Slytherin student body. But the weird thing is nobody is sure. I have been looking around a bit, but nobody knows where it’s coming from.”

“Well, what is the rumor?”

“Rebirth,” Leo said. “It’s been written in the dorm room, and small signs everywhere. But one could only see them if they looked hard enough. It’s weird and unnerving.”

“Right, learn some new spells, get stronger and keep an eye out. Why are you helping me?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know, the opportunity came up,” he admitted rather lamely. Harry turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “Alright, the greens got a bad rap. And I fell helping you would fix that. That, and I kind of like Hermione. So, you wouldn’t mind telling her I am very sorry?” he asked, giving a very forced grin.

“I’ll see what I can do. Anyway, we best get going. Aren’t we supposed to go see the nurse?” Harry said.

“When did you grow a bloody sense of humor?” Leo asked with a smirk.

“You hang out with Sirius long enough and you tend to smart off a bit,” Harry admitted rubbing the back of his shaggy head.

“Ahh, well then, I best get going. Try to keep your mind active, you seem to be a magnet for trouble and I need to learn some new spells,” he told himself.

Harry nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. Signs, rebirth, not to mention his track record with big events. He admitted to himself that Leo’s advice was sound, but how to act upon it?


	11. The Curses Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogwarts appears to have more than one rule-breaking student. Just what is going on?

“Greeting, class. I am going to be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, year four,” Sirius announced as he wrote his name on the board. “And this is my teacher’s aid, Mr. Lupin,” he said, raising a hand to Lupin who simply waved. A few students shied away from him. “And just to clear things up, he is taking his meds and will be taking time off during that time of the month,” Sirius said, gaining a nervous chuckle from the class.

“Sirius,” Lupin scowled, but he pretended to ignore him.

“And he is on my pay role. So, anyone wants to complain, take the third floor corridor and the door on the right hand side. He has three heads and a nasty disposition but you won’t get much farther if you complain to the headmaster,” Sirius said, eyeing a few of the Slytherins. “Now then, I have looked over the past events of this class and I am disappointed. So, I have taken the liberty of introducing to you three spells that will get you a one-way trip to Azkaban. Since each of you are now at the age where you can be tried as an adult, I feel it is a good idea to tell you what not to do so you don’t get thrown in. Anyone care to tell me the names of these three curses?” he asked with a cheerful smile. Hermione raised her hand.

“The Unforgivable Curses,” she answered. Sirius nodded as he wrote the name on the board.

“Good, and can you give me one, Miss Granger?”

“The Killing Curse,” she said in a low tone. Sirius nodded as he wrote that down as well.

“Right,” he paused to take a deep breath. “This is going to be a heavy lecture so brace yourselves. Also, this is going to be the tone for most of my lessons. The Killing Curse, as such named, is a death sentence. Only one person has survived,” he said, glancing at Harry for a moment. “And exactly how he did so, we are not sure. So it’s recommended not to use this spell. Or if you see green, try not to stand still.

“Now then, on to the next curse. Can someone else tell me the next one?” Sirius asked. Harry raised his hand. “Yes?”

“The Imperius Curse,” he answered as Sirius wrote it on the board below the other one.

“Yes, this one I can do a demonstration on.” He moved to a jar on the table and pulled out a spider before pointing his wand at it and enlarging it. “Imperio,” Sirius whispered. “Now this one is a bit tricky; it makes the one under the spell act at the will of the user. Now dance!” he shouted as the spider danced. It continued for a few more seconds until Sirius had it stop. “Now then, do I have any brave souls?” he asked, allowing the spider to crawl back into the jar. Nobody moved. “Surely someone here has some nerve. This is one of the only spells that can in face be fought off. It shows a strong will and a strong mind. Who wants to show off?” he asked, rephrasing the question.

Harry finally stood up. “Well, good to see the great house of Gryffindor still has its courageous few. Imperio! Now then, Harry, I want you to confess your undying love for Mr. Weasley.” Ron went as white as a sheet and the rest of the class began laughing.

Harry stood straight as a board but didn’t utter a sound. “No,” he said sternly. Sirius nodded.

“Okay then, how about taking a seat?” Sirius asked, his wand still held out but Harry didn’t move. He could feel a silent whisper telling him over and over to sit down. Each time, it sounded so tempting but he refused to move. “Very good. Normally, the simpler the request, the easier it is to get the target to comply. But as you can see, Mr. Potter has proven that two spells in the Unforgiving section have no effect on him.” He pulled his wand away, leaving Harry to shake his head and sit down.

“So, any more brave souls? It’s my hope that by the end of the semester, none of you will be able to be controlled. Now then, there is one more but I am not going to touch on it too much. I knew a couple who had a bad run in with the torture spell, good people,” Sirius said, nodding as he walked behind his desk.

“This spell is called the Cruciatius Curse and it causes immense, enough to scar someone. Luckily, this is one of the harder spells to pull off, requiring full and unrelenting desire to cause another witch or wizard pain. Which is very uncommon in this day and age. Prolonged exposure can cause severe mental trauma and, like the Killing Curse, there is no known defense. Anyone caught can say goodbye to their freedom and let me tell you, it is not a nice place. In fact, one could call it a fate worse than death – take it from someone who has been there.

“Now then, back to class. I have a few things we need to get caught up on so I won’t have time to explain every little thing. Anyone who has question or wishes to have a more ‘hands-on’ approach, feel free to see me after class. Or even better, show up at the Dueling Club,” he said. “Now that the shameless plug has been placed, let’s get on with class. Now then, the exact origin of the Killing Curse can be traced back to the middle ages. However, it’s exact origins are unknown….” Sirius went on to explain the history behind the curses, taking care to avoid uncomfortable histories.

When the class was finally over, everyone hurried to shuffle out. Harry nodded at his godfather as he approached Neville, sitting down with him as Harry left.

“So now what?” Ron asked as the two headed off. They had the rest of the day to themselves.

“I think I am going to head to the library,” Harry said, biting his lip. Ron raised an eyebrow at that. “What? I figure I should learn some dueling spells. Since I can’t fly on my broom this year, I figure I can at least compete in the tournament.”

“Well, if that’s what you want to do, I’ll be up in the common room if you want me,” Ron said with a shrug. Harry watched his friend walk off. The student body moved around him as Harry simply stood there by himself. Shaking his head, he quickly left, brushing off a feeling of loneliness, and made his way to the library.

“Expelliarmus!” a voice shouted, causing Harry to stop. He took a few steps back and spotted someone he never thought he would see practicing.

“Neville?” Harry asked as the fellow Gryffindor practically leaped out of his skin. He walked into the room and realized it was the Dueling Club.

“Oh, hi, Harry,” he said, recovering from the initial shock.

“What are you doing here?” Harry asked, a little confused. “I thought you were talking to Sirius, I mean, Professor Black,” Harry said, not really used to calling his godfather by his last name.

“Um, well, he figured the discussion would be a bit uncomfortable so he gave me the key to the Dueling room. To blow off some steam,” Neville said. “I ran here so I could practice. I plan on trying out for the tournament,” he said with a lopsided smile. “I-I don’t actually think I can win, especially if Hermione is in it. But I want to try,” he said with a nod.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why was he concerned?” Harry asked. Neville looked away, the smile quickly vanishing from his face. “Sorry,” Harry hastily apologized. “I didn’t mean to. Look, I’ll just get going, if it’s okay with you,” he said, wanting to back out since he didn’t know what he was doing.

“No, you don’t have to go. It’s just painful,” he said, trying to force up a smile but doing a poor job.

“Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay,” Harry replied. “I am not used to asking about these kinds of things. Sorry if I insulted you,” Harry said, rubbing the back of his head.

“Oh, no, nothing like that. It’s just I am not used to people asking,” Neville replied, not wanting to make Harry feel uncomfortable but doing a poor job of it.

“Yeah, I guess that’s one advantage of being me; everyone kinds of knows about all my problems,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

“Does it feel weird? Having everyone know about your past?”

“Most people don’t talk about it and, to be honest, I have kind of gotten used to everyone knowing more than me,” Harry replied with a shrug.

“Well, the thing is, my parents, they were hit with the Cruciatus Curse by two Death Eaters. They were tortured past their breaking points. Professor Black knew them so he censored out a bit of his lesson for me. Not that I mind, they were good people – heroes - but it makes me squirm whenever the curse is brought up,” Neville admitted.

“Ah,” Harry said, nodding his head. “That must be painful. If you want, we could practice a bit?” Harry offered, indicating the Dueling room. “Just randomly casting spells as a wall isn’t much practice.”

“Sure, I would love to. But you’re probably a lot better than I am,” Neville said as they walked onto the tables. “How about just the disarming spell?”

“Sounds good, the last thing we need is a trip to the nurse,” Harry smirked as they both drew their wands. Both of them shouted over and over again, each time causing a wand to fly out of the other’s hand.

Just as they were about to cast another spell, they stopped by the sound of sudden clapping. Startled, they turned to see the last person they had expected to find in the room.

“Professor Dumbledore!” Harry exclaimed as they stopped to greet their audience.

“Oh, don’t stop on my account, Mr. Potter. Mr. Longbottom, so good to see you as well,” Dumbledore said with a calm smile as he glanced between the two boys.

“Ah, hello Headmaster,” Neville said in a quiet voice.

“I do hope time hasn’t gotten away from you. I think it’s almost lights out,” he said with a light chuckle. Harry and Neville quickly realized how dark it was getting and were about to start running to their common room when Dumbledore spoke again.

“Mr. Potter, could I have a word before you go?”

“Sure Professor,” he replied, glancing at Neville who nodded before he left. “What do you need?”

“I haven’t had time to talk since last year. I have to admit it wasn’t the best of circumstances. I want to apologize – I have a habit of wanting to stick to my plans a bit more than I should,” Dumbledore apologized.

“Oh, I had forgotten, to be honest, Professor. All water under the bridge,” Harry said with a nod. He seemed to smile a bit brighter.

“Good to hear. I see you are readying for the Dueling Club tournament. Ah, that brings back memories,” he said but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Yeah, I really want to win but Hermione and Leo seem far too good,” Harry admitted.

“Yes,” Dumbledore chuckled, “there always seems to be someone better. But in the end, we all learn at our own pace. Just try not to get yourself into a situation where you need to use this newfound skill of dueling.

“Of course. It’s all for self-defense and with the way things have been, I am going to need it,” Harry admitted. Once again, the old man seemed to darken at that truth.

“Harry, you have been a brave young man – always being the first to run in and help others. Well, I shall not keep you any longer. Good luck with the tournament.” And with that, the aged wizard had vanished from the room.

“How in the world he does that, I will never know,” Harry scowled. “Must be a headmaster thing.” He paused at the door when he noticed the keys were still in the lock. “Well, better get these back to Sirius. That wouldn’t look good if he lost his keys,” Harry thought aloud as he rushed back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

“Sirius?” Harry called, raising his voice as he entered the room. “Sirius, I have the key to the Dueling Club. I figured you would want it back!” Harry called out. In the silence that followed, he could hear some rummaging around in the back room.

“Crap.” He could hear some talking and muttering in a voice he recognized as his godfather. Sirius suddenly burst out of the door, his black hair obscuring his face in the dark of the room.

“Sirius, are you okay? You look a little messed up,” Harry asked as he realized his godfather was unkempt once again.

“Fine,” he coughed, his sounding a bit off for a second. “I was just surprised. I was getting some sleep when you woke me up,” he admitted, pushing his hair back. “Can I have the key back? You should be heading back to your dorm soon,” Sirius instructed.

“You okay?” Harry asked, eyeing his godfather. “You have been acting odd as of late.”

“What makes you say that?” Sirius asked as he took the key.

“Little things, details that don’t seem to fit. My guess is you’re still adjusting to life as a teacher?”

“You have no idea, it is so stressful. Not to mention, Remus has made a habit of pointing out every little flaw I have made over the course of my last classes,” Sirius said, a bit worn.

“Well, hey, if you need someone to talk to, you know you still got me,” Harry offered. Sirius chuckled a bit.

“I thought I was supposed to be the guardian?” Sirius asked with a warm smile on his face. Harry smirked.

“I always figured a family would look out for each other, not just one person.”

“A good outlook. Look, I got some things I need to take care of. And you are late getting back to your dorm,” Sirius noted. Before Harry could say anything further, he opened the door and quickly slipped back inside.

“Well, that was odd,” Harry said, vaguely remembering that he had the Marauder’s map back in his room. “Nah, I couldn’t do that to his privacy,” he said, shaking his head. “Polyjuice – someone could be impersonating him, his voice was different. But it hasn’t even been a year. I don’t really know everything about him, let alone all of his quirks,” he frowned. Harry continued to mutter to himself as he walked to the Gryffindor common room.

“Mrow,” a cat cried out and Harry froze. His eyes shifted to the side and he saw something he never wanted to see. Mrs. Norris, Filch’s cat, was walking up to him. Harry reached back on instinct but soon realized that he didn’t have his invisibility cloak.

“Who’s there?” Flich cried out. Harry felt a bit of panic rise in his stomach.

“Crap, I don’t – ” He was cut off when someone grabbed his shoulder. He was suddenly pulled away just as Filch walked into view.

“I know you’re in here – a student out of bed,” the old man croaked, looking around a bit but he didn’t seem to see Harry. He glanced down as Mrs. Norris walked back into his hand. “We’ll get ‘em next time, my sweet,” he muttered to the cat.

Harry glanced back to see his rescuer and spotted a head of blonde hair. “Luna, what are you doing here?” he asked, recognizing the odd Ravenclaw.

“Oh, just enjoying the view. Nothing strikes me as amazing like the sight of Hogwarts in the moonlight,” she said smiling.

“Don’t you think it’s a bad idea?” Harry asked, looking back at where Filch had come in.

“I think it’s worth the risk. Haven’t you ever admired the school in the dark?” Luna asked.

“Not really, guess I never thought about it,” Harry admitted.

“Sometimes you need to stop and admire things. Oh, come here. I need to show you something,” she said suddenly, grabbing his hand and dragging him off.

“Wow,” he admitted, glancing over the lake outside of the school and the moon reflecting off the water. “I never really did think about it.”

“Did you know a muggle designed this place?” Luna asked as Harry glanced over at her. “It’s a little obscure but the set-up was made by a muggle woman, someone called Rowling. The founder, Godric, took the idea and used it for a school. Most call it a rumor but stranger things have happened,” Luna explained.

Harry nodded, not commenting as he looked at the water. “Well, I need to get some sleep. Do you do this every night?”

“Yeah, it’s so nice to walk around without anyone to obscure my view,” she admitted. Harry smirked at her.

“Well, maybe I’ll join you some other time. Hey, are you going to be in the Dueling Club?” he asked. Luna glanced up at the moon for a brief second before giving a light shrug.

“Sure,” she said with a bright smile. Harry swallowed a lump in his throat. He had a bad feeling all of a sudden. “I figure it would be a good opportunity to throw another wrench into the structure.”


	12. The Tournament Begins

“Okay, everyone, simmer down,” Sirius said as he held out his hands out to the student body involved with the Dueling Club. “Now then, we have gotten a fair amount of students ready and involved in the Dueling Club. I would like to announce our first Hogwarts Dueling Tournament. We’ve got a lot of students and I figure we can have some fun with this.” Sirius clapped his hands together with a smile on his face. “We have too many students here for a proper one-on-one tournament. So, in order to make this a bit more fair, we’re going to have a three month season. Each student will be put into small teams and they will be made up of five students, no more and no less. Every Sunday we will have four teams, two against two, with Professor Snape, Flitwick and myself judging. We’ll tally up points and the twelve teams with the highest number of victories will go on to the playoffs. That will be school hosted with a nice gold cup to the winner.”

“What?” a few students exclaimed, confusion written on their faces.

“Ah, and here is the kicker: once the playoffs start, it’s every witch and wizard for themselves. We already have everything worked out, but we will explain the rules when we get there. As a side note, the person chosen to enter the Triwizard tournament will have to give up his spot – as the staff consider it too much for one student to take on for a seventh year. So, anyone whose planning on trying out, make sure you have a backup plan,” Sirius advised. “Now, feel free to choose your teams and names. Meet up with me or one of the other teachers to get registered.”

“Harry, you and me,” Ron said, quickly grabbing his shoulders. “We got to get Hermione as well – that is a must. So who to ask?”

“Count me in,” Leo said, appearing behind the two students. Ron opened his mouth but Harry cut him off.

“Alright, let’s head to the library,” Harry said with a nod as the other two looked at each other. “If we need to find Hermione, it’s a safe bet she is in the library, the Great Hall or the dorm. And I got a feeling the library is the best place to start,” he surmised.

“Sounds like a safe bet to me. But I am going to see if I can find someone else, to um, you know, join up. Have fun with Hermione,” Leo said, grinning nervously.

“Where are you going? Don’t tell me you’re scared of her,” Ron said with a sly smile on his face.

“No, no,” he repeated. “Whatever would give you that idea?” His smile bent a little more. “I haven’t apologized; she seemed rather sore with me. And I don’t like to apologize in front of other people,” he said as he showed his teeth in a very large grin.

“You are such a chicken,” Ron commented as Harry glanced between them.

“Look, it would be uncomfortable. I would rather talk to her without the loud-mouthed ginger making comments in the background.”

“It has nothing to do with the fact that she kicked your arse?” Ron said with a smug smile.

“You know, I can’t remember. I do remember mopping the floor with a loud-mouthed ginger,” Leo said as he smirked back.

“Beginner’s luck. I’ll take you on, right here, right now!” Ron challenged.

“I am starting to regret my decision,” Harry muttered to himself. “Teaming up with Malfoy would be less of a headache,” he thought to himself as he shoved his hands in his pocket and left to find Hermione. Even if she didn’t join, she could bring some order to the group.

Ignoring the two behind him, Harry headed to the library, his mind going over other people who could join. “Dean, Seamus, not to mention Ron’s older brothers. Luna and Neville would be welcome as well – even if Luna seemed to just watch instead of practicing. Seamus was good and Harry had seen him hold his own.

“Hey Harry, I think we should talk to Seamus after Hermione – he’s pretty good,” Ron advised. “Or both my brothers – I know they’re really good.”

“All good points,” Leo admitted. “Not to mention, they will have a bit more knowledge, being upper classmen and all.”

“Then again, I would kind of rather not, they can be hard to work with. Not to mention, they will undoubtedly pick on me,” Ron said. Harry soon blocked out Ron’s musings; he would be happy enough just to compete alongside his friends. Normally, the three would just hang out. They wouldn’t be doing much unless Harry’s life was on the line or some other big event came up. It would be a nice change of pace. Since Hermione always seemed to be on the sidelines, unless…. Harry caught himself at that thought.

Harry opened up the door to the library, spotting a few students and staff walking around. Giving a quick glance over, he spotted Hermione next to her standard pile of book. He grinned and made his way over to her table.

“Leo,” she said in a low whisper, looking up at the third man. He gave a nervous grin.

“Hermione, they just announced the Dueling tournament and we need teams,” Harry started as Hermione glanced at him. She closed her book before clasping her hands together.

“I am not interested. I meant what I said – I want no part in it. Especially knowing all the braggarts that are going to be running around.” Leo rubbed the back of his head as he glanced away.

“Please, Hermione, we could really use your help. You would be one of the best witches to have on the team,” Ron pleaded. Hermione reopened her book.

“Please, Ron. I have a lot of homework and I don’t feel like spending what little free time I have to play in this competition,” she answered as the door slammed shut.

“But – ,” Ron said, only for Leo to put a hand on his shoulder.

“Stop badgering her. We have people to see and we can’t waste time,” Leo advised. He glanced at Hermione. “I am sorry about that; my behavior was uncalled for when I was dueling your friends.”

“Apology accepted,” Hermione said with a kind smile. Leo nodded and led Ron out of the library. “Harry, you’ve got another thing coming,” she said since he hadn’t moved yet.

“Not that. Hermione, I wanted to say thanks,” he admitted, giving her pause. “You’ve done a lot – more than anyone has a right to ask of another person. If it weren’t for you, well, lots of things wouldn’t have happened. Between the last three years, a lot of things would have fallen apart. And I don’t think I ever told you how much I appreciate it. So thanks for being there, Hermione, even if you didn’t always want to be. After all, we could have gotten you expelled,” he said, giving her a smile. He turned to leave, patting her shoulder as he did so.

Hermione watched him walk out of the library. “Damn you, Potter,” she growled, slamming her book shut again and racing out of the library.

“Hermione?” Harry asked, a bit confused when she caught up with them. The other two glanced at him for a moment. He shrugged as Hermione stopped.

“Fine, I am in,” she said. “But you are on thin ice, all of you,” she added, pointing her finger at each of them in turn. “Especially you.” She pointed at Harry who was still confused. “Now, if I am in, I want one more female on the team.”

“Aw, but I was going to ask Seamus,” Ron groaned causing Hermione to frown. He grumbled, glancing over at Leo as a smile appeared on his face. “I know just the girl.” The others exchanged a glance.

“So, Luna, are you in?” Harry asked with an amused smile on his face.

“Sure, it could be a nice change of pace. That and to look for some wibbleworths.” The group glanced at each other. “They are little three legged creatures that feed off anxiety. They’re often found around competitions. I would have checked the locker rooms at Quidditch time but they never let me.”

“I never,” Hermione started only to pause when a fly passed by. She shifted a bit, moving behind Harry even as he shot her a confused look.

“Well, guess we got a team. Any name ideas?” Harry asked. Everyone just kind of stared at each other. “How Dumbledore’s Army?” We have a rep from nearly every school house, sounds cool and I guess it’s kind of intimidating,” Harry said. Everyone else just shrugged it off.

“Maybe, but team Dumbledore’s Army just doesn’t have a ring to it,” Leo said, rubbing the back of his head. “Maybe we should base it off a magical creature?”

“Phoenixes!” Luna shouted, tossing her fist over her head.

“That will work,” Harry said, thinking back to Year Two. “Well, Ron, let’s go get signed up,” Harry said with a nod. “Maybe we should get some practice in as well,” he offered.

“Good idea, I’ll set up a weekly meeting. I am going to need everyone’s classes and days so we can all meet up as often as possible,” Ron said, slamming his fist into his palm. Harry and Hermione both looked at him.

“Who are you and what have you done with Ron?” Harry asked, a slight smirk on his face.

“Hey, this is important,” Ron said with a nod as he raced off to secure their spot.

“One wonders how good his grades would be if he was this attentive at his homework,” Hermione mused. Harry just shook his head.

“Well, we got time, I think I’ll – ,” Leo started.

“I don’t think so. We need to get to the library; if we are going to do this, we are going to do it right. Not to mention, it would be the perfect opportunity to get some homework done,” Hermione interjected.

“I am good. I got my homework done a week in advance just in case something came up,” Leo said.

“Good, then you can help Harry,” Hermione said, grabbing both boys by the elbow. “You as well.” She dragged them back to the library, Luna skipping along after them with a lazy smile on her face.

“Well, this is interesting,” Snape said, looking over the five.

“Hi, Professor Snape,” Luna said, waving at him. Sirius smirked, seeming to take some pride in Snape’s comment.

“We would like to register a team,” Ron declared.

“I have to admit, I didn’t think Potter’s fame was capable of influencing even someone from my house,” Snape said as he eyed Leo.

“What can I say? I am ambitious,” he shrugged. Harry glanced between the two, only to notice that Leo was now looking at Hermione instead.

“Don’t go there. It won’t do you any good,” Snape advised. Even Sirius glanced at him with a bit of confusion. “Here you are. You made it just in time; we were just getting ready to pack up. We have a lot of teams so expect the first match ups to take place in the next meeting. For those ready of course.” And with that, Snape got up and walked away.

“Is it just me or does he seem a bit more somber?” Leo asked. “Just me, huh? Being around him enough, I guess it tends to stick out. But I think something’s bothering him.”

“Well, hmm,” Sirius said, seeming to notice something on the table. He picked up a piece of parchment. “Well, better make sure Snape gets this. Good luck, but remember, no favoritism,” he said as he winked at them.

“Like we would need it. Please, we got this in the bag,” Leo said with a confident smirk. Hermione pushed them back out the door. “Well, time to go study and all that fun stuff,” Leo said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Sirius watched them walk out of the room, grade sheet in his hand. When they had left, he folded it up and, with a light tap with his wand, the parchment went sailing after the Potions master. After all was said and done, he left the room and headed down the hall, the throng of students moving aside.

“Remus, I need you to do me a favor,” Sirius said when he found his old friend.

“Sure, what is it?” Lupin asked.

“Take the fireplace back to my house. I want you to pick up some practice notes on potions. Something is bugging me,” he said with a frown as he sat at his desk. “I don’t want to work you too much but I need these for a problem that’s come up and I need to check my facts.” Lupin frowned but didn’t anything as he moved to the fireplace.

“So, are you going to need your office to yourself tonight?” he asked.

“Not tonight, but don’t be surprised if I’m not here when you get back. Take your time,” Sirius said with a light wave. Lupin frowned at the comment but said nothing as he vanished from sight.

“Time to pay a little visit to the potion’s cupboard,” Sirius said with a smirk. “And maybe something to drink as well. I feel a bit dry,” he said, licking his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have our rules and a very reluctant Hermione. And just what is Sirius up to now?


	13. The Tri-Wizard Tournament and Unwanted Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dueling tournament and then we get to meet all of the schools competing in the Tri-Wizard Tournament

“Ron, Ron, Ron!” Harry shouted. Ron suddenly snapped to attention and glanced at his friend. Harry glanced back at the table where the two students continued to shoot stunning spells at each other. “Hey Ron, no need to look so pale. We can take them,” Harry said, patting him on the back.

“It’s not that,” Ron said, tapping his feet on the floor. “I’m just nervous. I’ve finally got a chance to really outshine my brothers and I don’t want it to slip by,” he said, staring forward.

“We got a lot of time before you’ve got to start worrying about me in the arena,” Harry said with a smirk.

“Oh, I know we are going to win,” he said, glancing down. “I don’t want to choke is all,” Ron admitted before Harry slapped him on the back.

“We got this. Besides, with all the extra work Hermione put us through, we should have no trouble,” Harry said with a smile. “Not to mention, I helped take on full grown Death Eaters, a giant snake and two different dark lords. I very much doubt, win or lose, this will be too big of a deal for me.” He glanced over a Ron. But, this is his big moment. I can’t let him down, Harry thought to himself as his resolve hardened.

“And there you are, Salazar’s Core has done a clean sweep,” Sirius announced as the Slytherin upperclassmen walked off the table. “Next up, it is the Phoenixes vs. the Raven’s Claw,” he said as Harry and the others stood up.

“Well, I wonder what house they came from?” Leo asked, rolling his eyes. Harry glanced over them; low and behold, everyone was sporting the colors of blue and bronze. He paused when he recognized one of the duelists.

“Cho Chang,” Harry whispered, a warm feeling spreading in his gut. Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker. He quickly hid in the line behind Leo. The Slytherin glanced back at him with a confused look but didn’t say anything.

“Alright, who will be up first?” Sirius asked. Ron took a step forward as did another student. The rest fell back to their respected side of the table. “Alright, you know the rules. Three shots to win, you lose a bout if you lose your wand or get knocked off the table or off your feet. No lethal force, you may proceed when ready.” With that, Sirius hopped off the table as the two students began with the traditional bowing.

“Stupify!” the Raveclaw shouted, casting the red stream over at Ron. He sidestepped, tossing his own Stunning spell in return. Harry glanced over at Cho, ignoring the duel his friend was participating in.

“So, you think she’s cute?” Leo asked, glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye.

“No,” Harry denied, his face turning red.

“Ah, have to admit, nice choice – she looks good. If you want, I’ll be your wingman and you can ask her to Hogsmead. Go out for some butterbeer, get to know her,” he said, elbowing Harry in the ribs.

“Point to Terry Boot,” Sirius announced. Harry and Leo both glanced back to see Ron getting back up.

“Don’t give up, Ron. It’s not about first point, it’s about getting the last one!” Leo shouted.

“Come on, Ron, don’t let him knock you around! Stay on your feet!” Harry shouted in support of his friend.

“You can do it, Ron!” Hermione added, jumping up and down, hair bobbing with her. Leo suddenly got a dumb look on his face. Harry glanced over to see he was staring at Hermione. Harry elbowed him back.

“What?” Leo said, glancing at Harry.

“My friend, don’t even think about it,” he said with a low voice.

“She’s also very smart, cute and powerful,” he said with a coy grin on his face. Harry frowned at him.

“I’ve taken on a Basilisk. You break her heart, you won’t live to see the end of the week,” Harry said in a very cold tone.

“Noted,” Leo said, gulping a bit. They turned their attention back to the duel as Ron got another point. “So, does that mean I can ask her out?” Leo asked. Harry didn’t reply. “Harry?”

“Harry, you’re up,” Ron said with a confident grin, having gotten the first point.

“Harry, you didn’t answer my question,” Leo called as Harry walked up onto the table. Harry faced the Ravenclaw. He had blonde hair and a bit of a height advantage. They both bowed.

“You know, after that Slytherin took you down, I got a feeling you’re not as tough as your make you out to be,” he said in a calm tone. He didn’t seem like he was trying to insult him but Harry felt a bit of a burn fill his chest.

“Rumors normally have a grain of truth to them. Let’s see what you got,” Harry said, now dedicated to dueling this fellow student.

“Stu – ” the student announced, only for Harry to cut him off.

“Expelliarmus!” Harry shouted, and the student’s wand went flying. The room went quiet as the wand hit the back end of the table.

“Point to Potter,” Sirius announced. The blonde student retrieved his wand and they drew again; but the result was the same. “Point Potter.” The fell to the ground. “Point to Potter,” Sirius said as both the student and the wand fell. Harry slipped his wand back into his robe as he walked over to the student and offered him a hand.

“Guess you showed me,” he said as he took Harry’s hand and allowed him to pull him up. Harry held on for a second.

“You weren’t wrong either. But I have been getting some good help this past year,” he said before he released him and walked away. Harry got a congratulations all around.

“Hermione, you’re up,” Harry said. Hermione nodded as she walked onto the stage, only to face Cho Chang.

“Talk about mixed emotions,” Harry thought to himself.

“Okay boys, let’s sit back and watch the cat fight,” Leo said, smirking. Ron chuckled at the comment and Hermione glared at him. Ron gulped a bit, smirking nervously.

“Care to explain?” Leo asked, looking at Ron and Harry. Both quickly shook their heads. “Okay, well, I am just going to sit back and enjoy the show. Even if we don’t win, this is time well spent,” he said with a smile.

“Huh?” Harry asked, glancing over. All he saw was Cho and Hermione. Well, Hermione wasn’t facing them, but he could see Cho.

“She has a nice tail, wouldn’t you say?”

“Tail?” Harry asked, a bit too loud. Hermione must have heard something for she spun around. She turned to face Cho, only to get knocked face first into the ground. She skidded along the table as quite a few people winced. A few Slytherins even began to laugh.

“Hermione, are you okay?” Harry asked, pushing through the crowd.

“You need to shut up, no talking,” Hermione hissed. “And I am dealing with you later,” she said, pointing at Leo. He swallowed as she grabbed her wand and stood back up.

“Good luck, mate,” Ron said, patting Leo on the back. Leo rubbed the back of his neck, a little bit nervous. Hermione stood up and Cho was put down. “Good thing there is no Quidditch this season,” Ron said as Sirius announced a five minuter intermission. It officially solidified Hermione as one of the scariest witches in the school.

“Poor Cho, I don’t think Hermione had to be so hard on her,” Harry said.

“She certainly sent a message, intentional or otherwise,” Leo said, looking over at Malfoy, who was sweating a bit more than usual. “Worth it,” he said with a confident smile.

A few weeks later in October….

Harry shifted a bit, glancing over at the Slytherin table. Viktor Krum was sitting over there and, not too surprisingly, Leo was as far away from him as possible. He glanced to the back of the room and saw a man George had called Mad-Eye Moody. He chuckled to himself when he remembered how strange the day had been thus far. The students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, only a handful each, had arrived with a bang and a flourish, respectively. Shortly after that, a massive thunderstorm had arrived within seconds. The only thing that had stopped the rising panic was Mad-Eye Moody casting a spell at the ceiling. It had certainly garnered everyone’s attention, that much was certain.

“Odd, from what I’ve read, the Triwizard Tournament doesn’t normally have ex-Aurors around,” Hermione said with a frown, pulling Harry from his thoughts. But Moody wasn’t the only thing that was odd – even the Minister of Magic was present, with a bit of a grin on his face.

“Maybe it’s to keep an eye on cheating or to keep underage wizards from getting involved,” Neville suggested, causing Ron to shrug his shoulders. The four of them glanced down the table at the twins.

“So, as I was saying,” Dumbledore said with a chuckle as he caught the Hall’s attention again. “The Triwizard Tournament. You’ve already met your competing schools and for a lucky few of you, they shall be joining certain classes. It should be a wonderful learning experience for all.” Dumbledore paused, looking at the doors with great interest. Everyone in the Great Hall followed his gaze and soon they heard something very strange.

“Is that music?” Ron asked, looking at Hermione in confusion. For once, she shrugged, unable to provide an answer. Ron was right, however. From beyond the doors, music was indeed playing. A sort of fanfare, and if Harry wasn’t mistaken, it sounded very American. Out of nowhere, the doors burst open to reveal a tall and broad man with brown hair and draped in a cape made to look like an American flag. On his outstretched arm, a bald eagle sat perched, looking sharply around at the students. Behind him, a dozen and a half students trailed with nervous looks on their faces. Some were clearly younger than Harry. Without warning, the bird took off from the man’s arm, flying up around the floating candles and alighting a nearby window ledge.

“DUMBLEDORE!!” the man shouted excitedly, making his way to the teacher’s table.

“Who is that?” Harry asked, watching the man with interest. As they watched, the man embraced the Headmaster, but he clearly wasn’t as enthusiastic about returning the hug.

“Brom?” Dumbledore asked, actually taken aback.

“If I’m not mistaken, I think that’s Headmaster Brom of the Salem Witches Institute,” Hermione offered uncertainly. “But what’s he doing here? He almost never crosses the ocean.” Harry glanced up at Sirius and was surprised to see him stifling laughter with his head against the table.

“You old hound, so good to see you. Heard you were having a bit of a party. I must have lost my invitation,” Brom said with a bright award-winning smile on his face. A quick count showed that there were about fifteen students with Brom; a few of them were actually shaking their heads.

Dumbledore glanced around to see Fudge grinning like a loon as Brom stood there and rambled.

“Still growing out the beard, huh?” he asked, shaking Dumbledore around before releasing him.

“What iz the meaning of tis? I was informed of only three schools, hence the name of the tournament,” Madam Maxime asked, not too thrilled with his appearance either.

“Well, you see, our new school wasn’t around during the original run. So, when I heard from a good friend of mine – who came for a visit – well, I just couldn’t pass up at least trying to get involved,” he said with a smile.

“Does he even have permission? This American had no right here!” Igor Karkaroff demanded.

“We’ve already got everything figured out. The Minister of Magic, Mr. Fudge, was kind enough to allow us in,” Brom said smugly, glancing back at his students. “Besides, do you honestly think I’d let you have all the fun?”

“Well, of course Brom. If the Minster and the Games Master have allowed it, I have no issues,” Dumbledore said, inclining his head ever so slightly.

“Fantastic, it has been so long since my last visit. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Any particular reason you have so many students who are not of the proper age?” Maxime asked, looking over the group of students. Quite a few of them looked uncomfortable while the others seemed to have their chests puffed out.

“The American didn’t do his research before he brought his students over the pond,” Karkaroff said, laughing.

“Hardly, I brought a few extras along, namely because they were very interesting in going. Think of it like travelling abroad; after all, this opportunity doesn’t come often, especially those in the off months. So I figured to bring a few along. Besides, the American wasn’t informed because the Europeans decided any information regarding a public event needed to be hushed,” he said, the smile never leaving his lips even as he glared mockingly at Karkaroff.

“Indeed,” Dumbledore said in a dry tone. “Hagrid, could you get another chair for us up here? Care to share who informed you about the upcoming event?”

“I had a very nice visit from an old student of mine, Sirius! Going to be honest, I have more than one reason for coming here. As a wizard who prides himself on Animagi studies, my student brought up an interesting bit of information. If at all possible, I would like to speak with a Mr. Harry Potter,” Brom said with a calm smile on his face.

Dumbledore glanced over at Sirius, who slipped lower in his seat. “Well, I guess it is up to Mr. Potter. Feel free to talk with him after we get the announcements out of the way. And as for your students, they are free to sit where they please.”

“Hold on a second,” Karkaroff demanded, sending a glower at Dumbledore and Sirius. “How did Black know about the tournament?”

Sirius snorted as he set down his goblet. “You would not believe how loose Fudge’s tongue can be at times,” he said, raising his eyebrow. Harry could see that his grin was uncomfortable no matter how joking he sounded.

Harry fell into silence as the American students moved to the opposite side of the hall, heading to the Hufflepuff table. He glanced up as Brom took a seat next to Dumbledore. The man was looking down at him with a slight smile.

“I wonder how much he actually knows. I wonder if he knows why I turned into a snake that night,” Harry calmly murmured, more to himself than anything. When he again beheld the Goblet, it was lit and it wasn’t long until the upperclassmen began to approach and deposit their names.

“Excuse me, Mr. Potter?” Harry froze as his friends leapt in surprise. Brom was standing behind him, his hand hidden behind his back.

“Yes, Mr….?” Harry trailed off, unsure of how to address him.

“Brom is fine. I wish to speak with you. Your godfather had informed me of an interesting situation in terms of transformation.”

“Oh, um, so I take it, he brought it up?” Harry asked, glancing down. Brom frowned as he rubbed his beard.

“I asked Dumbledore to lend us a room. It seems you’re not too keen on your second animal,” he said, a bit of mirth in his voice. Harry frowned. “If you want, your godfather or a friend can sit with us. I figure talking to a relative stranger would be a bit jarring.”

“You have no idea. First year, everyone knew about me, except me,” Harry said with a smirk.

“Well, if it helps, I am here because you have dual animals. Let’s see if we can find an explanation for this and maybe make a legend.”

“Legend?” Harry asked.

“Follow me. What’s one more, young wizard?” Brom said as he smiled. “Legend tells that a wizard will one day gain the ability to change into more than one animal. And maybe, even all of them.”

“I never heard of that legend,” Harry dejected.

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t. Britain was never big on Animagus transformations. In America, they are given a bit more breathing room, so it’s a bit more common to hear legends and stories about them.”

“Really? Sounds farfetched since more transformations are personality in nature,” Harry replied. Brom nodded in agreement.

“Well, here we are,” he opened up a door and there was fine fireplace with a pair of chairs and a bowl of chocolate balls in between them. “Please, take a seat. Dumbledore should be with us shortly; I don’t think he likes the idea of me stealing you,” he said with a smile.

“What makes you think he thinks that?” Harry asked.

“I was always more fun to be around. Anyway, tell me about the snake transformation – compared to when you normally transform.”

“Well, when I turn into the dog, it takes a bit of time. I am still getting used to it. But it feels right, even if I struggle with doing anything faster than a jog,” Harry admitted.

“That’s normal. In fact, it took your dad about five weeks before he could even walk straight. A charismatic man, but not all that bright when it came to magic.”

“Hey, that’s my dad you’re talking about,” Harry growled, glaring at Brom. The man simply chuckled a bit as his shoulder shook.

“Nothing against him; he was a great man. I have to respect him for nothing else but how he lived his final days with his family. But he was one of the more challenging students. Sirius and Peter picked up the basics well enough, but for all his talk, your father was not one of the best wizards. I think he would have been a better business man or politician than a wizard on the front lines. That credit goes to your mother.”

“You knew my mom?” Harry asked but Brom shook his head.

“Hardly, your father was almost always talking about her. So, I got a pretty good idea about her,” Brom said with a chuckle. “Ah, young love. It was a tragedy, what happened to them both. I just wish the British government would ask for some help every once in a while.”

“Help? What do you mean?”

“That is a history lesson and we are way off topic. Back to the transformations,” Brom said with an amused smirk on his face.

“Right, um, as for the snake, it just worked. I picked up on it instantly, like instinct. I could see the way I was supposed to; it was nothing like when I was a dog,” Harry explained, lowering his head a bit.

“Fascinating,” Brom said, the smile finally vanishing from his lips. “It doesn’t take a headmaster to see your issue with this.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked cautiously.

“It’s something I have expected, to be honest. I think the problem lies not with the snake, but with how quickly you see to have adapted and what it represents to you,” he admitted, grabbing a chocolate.

“Voldemort,” Harry nodded.

“Harry, the snake is nothing to worry about and no amount of talking will ever make it clear to you from me. Maybe not even Sirius or Dumbledore. But what I can tell you is that your ability to feel one with the snake has nothing to do with it being more core than the dog. In fact,” Brom paused to draw his wand. He pointed it as Harry as the young student scrambled to do the same. “It has more to do with your state of mind and natural magical instinct.” He calmly slipped the wand back under his brown robes.

“Don’t scare me like that,” Harry said, returning his wand as well.

“Ah, but it has proved a point. Now then, magical instinct is the natural reaction to using magic. You see, that wand may have a mind but it is only a conduit for your own magic. The more powerful your instinct, the more you give yourself to that magic. Don’t believe me? Have you ever done something you couldn’t explain, something you did without a wand or even intent?” Brom asked.

Harry remembered back to his only visit to the zoo. “Ah, you remember. And from what I gathered, it was something else. You, Harry, have a strong instinct. It’s the only explanation for your survival. It’s very strong, and when it takes over, no amount of experience or knowledge will ever be enough of an equalizer.”

“Why isn’t this ever taught?” Harry asked.

“Because it’s not normally strong enough to really impact, or in some cases ever needed. But the way this country seems to revolve around you, it doesn’t surprise me. Next time you transform, don’t think; feel. That’s why I love being an animagus – you’re much more in tune with your instincts. And don’t fear the snake; a white snake is a sign of rebirth. But what you become is entirely up to you. Now then, Dumbledore should be arriving shortly. So, if you are interested, I would be more than happy to have another chat, but I need to get my students together. I could ramble on forever, anyway. I am sure you have a lot of questions. And if you’re interested, I always have a nice morning run. Feel free to meet me near that lovely cottage. That is, if you are interested in learning a bit more and maybe I can learn as to how you can transform into two separate animals.”

“So, you don’t know how this thing works?”

“I have theories, many theories. But nothing I can say with certainity. All you need to worry about is your homework. Oh, and good luck in the Dueling Club,” Brom said with a smile. “Now, for some fish sticks and custard.” With that, the American wizard vanished.

“My head; too much information,” Harry groaned, rubbing his head. “So, should I wait for the headmaster of head back to the dorm?” he wondered, glancing at the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Brom returns!! The crazy old loon that he is - I can't wait to show his antic throughout the year. But, he is relatively brilliant, you have to hand him that much. Until next time, lovlies! ~SS


End file.
